The Great UchihaUzumaki Prank Off!
by WhiteFangoftheLeaf
Summary: Sasuke and Naruto decide to indulge in a little competition, but things don't go as planned, and the outcome isn't desirable for either of them. Warning: Contains spanking, hence M. Don't like, don't read. I do not own Naruto in any way, so don't eat me.
1. The Plan

**HELLO PEOPLE! This is my first story on this site, so I'd really appreciate lots of reviews, both critical and complimentary, 'cause I reaaaaally want to improve my writing. The more YOU write, the more I'LL write! Hope you enjoy anyway, and don't be shy to tell me things that you'd like to happen, I'm always interested!  
>WhiteFang .<strong>

"SHUT IT TEME! I swear if you don't shut up I..I'll..I.."

"Hn. Stutter at me?" Sasuke smirked, raising his delicate eyebrows until they disappeared under his long black bangs._ MAN,_ did Naruto want to punch the brains out of this guy.

Team 7 had only been in the training fields for an hour before they were forced to stop sparring due to yet _another _disagreement between Naruto and Sasuke.

It was all that bastard Sasuke's fault, all these attack formations he was coming up with were way too confusing, Naruto doubted anybody would understand them! And then Sasuke started saying that it was _his_ fault they didn't work because he was a 'knucklehead' or something... GRRRR! How did someone like _him_ become a ninja?

Sakura stood nervously nearby, watching the fuming blonde and the sneering Uchiha get ever more pissed off at eachother. What the hell was wrong with these two, did they have to fight _all _the time? They couldn't even last one training session without Kakashi here before they kicked off yet again with their arguing. She almost wished that Kakashi Sensei would turn up right then and stop the two of them from fighting, but on the other hand, she knew that if he arrived for a check up and they weren't training, they were all really going to get it.

"Guys, I reaaaally think we need to get back to training now. Kakashi Sensei could-"

"Screw Kakashi, I wanna settle this right NOW Uchiha! All your ideas are stupid, and whenever you make plans, they totally fall apart!" Naruto cut across Sakura, now facing Sasuke head on, only a few metres between them.

"They fall apart _DOBE _because you can't follow them you're so damn stupid. And stop making that face at me; you're straining the few brain cells you have left, and you can't afford to lose anymore." Sasuke sneered, as he raised one eyebrow at Naruto and swung around to face the other direction.

ARGHHH, that Uchiha was going to die! Naruto _had_ been scrunching his face in anger at the other boy, but _another _brain cell joke? That was the LAST DAMN STRAW! Naruto bunched his fists at his sides and began striding purposefully towards his raven-haired rival, ready to pounce and give him a punch that would lose _him_ a few brain cells.

A state of panic rose in Sakura's chest as she looked frantically between the poised Uchiha and the rapidly advancing blonde, her bubblegum-pink hair swinging wildly with her sharp movement. What on earth was she supposed to do now? These boys were so _stupid_ when it came to these silly arguments, why couldn't they at least attempt to cooperate with eachother for the sake of their missions and to keep their sensei happy...

However, it looked like neither ninja was about to execute any dangerous jutsu on eachother, so with a burst of speed that rivalled Kakashi's, she flew swiftly between them and slammed her right arm into Naruto's chest, stopping him in his tracks. The other she thrust into Sasuke, who had turned readily to face Naruto when he sensed his advance.  
>Both boys looked at her with disbelief. Sakura found this fact irritating. What, so it was such a shock that she was just trying to keep them all out of immediate trouble?<p>

"Look, I have to admit that you're both pretty crappy at making plans of attack-" She paused as they both growled at her. With a gulp, she continued. "We need to find a way to resolve the problem without you taking it out on eachother, it just ends up with you two kicking each other's asses and then getting yelled at – or worse- by Sensei!"

The glare from the two boys faltered as they were reminded of their most recent punishment for fighting. Kakashi sensei had tanned both their hides raw and then launched them into a high intensity training exercise with no time to recover. Naruto's butt cheeks twitched involuntarily at the memory.

"Well, what do you suggest then if you're so intelligent?" Sasuke inquired mockingly, shoving her hand from his chest and folding his arms across it. Naruto took a step back also, and Sakura let her hands fall to her sides, glad that she'd finally caught their attention.

"Well..." She began, and idea forming in her head. Sure, it was risky, but as long as they were careful, it might be able to resolve this ongoing argument of theirs.

-One explanation and half an hour later-

"So whoever's prank comes off the bestest, they win?" Naruto confirmed with Sakura one more time. Sasuke groaned "Yes _dobe_, we've explained it five times already!"  
>Naruto punched his shoulder. Hey, it had been a long day; he was allowed to be slow! And he had the main idea of the plan understood already. Naruto and Sasuke would take it in turns to plan and execute some major pranks in the village. Sakura was going to act as a lookout of needed for both pranks, and if a decision couldn't be made as to whose prank came off the best, she would have the deciding vote. See, Naruto did get it!<p>

"Well alright then!" The blonde sprang to his feet excitedly "Let's roll all our revenge into some spectacular pranks!"  
>Sakura began to regret her decision instantly. What was she thinking getting two people like Naruto and Sauske to compete? They were so competitive she was sure this would get out of hand, and end up with a painful ordeal for their butts, maybe even for herself. But at the same time, she couldn't <em>wait<em> to see the faces of those prankees when they were pulled off, it would be awesome!  
>Even the young Uchiha couldn't hide and eager smirk as Team 7 fell deep into planning for 'The Great Uchiha-Uzumaki prank off!'<p> 


	2. The Prank

**The action all starts now, you excited, 'cause I sure am.. To know what you think of course! Tell me if I'm doing OK, but either way here's the next instalment ^_^  
>WhiteFang<strong>

"Are you sure about this guys?" Sakura asked nervously for the millionth time as the two teens finished filling their weapons packs with spray paint. "What happens if you get caught?" Almost as soon as the guys in her team had started planning their pranks, she had begun to seriously regret sharing her idea for a resolve. Especially with Naruto leading the first one, something was sure to go wrong! He was such a knucklehead she wouldn't be surprised if he left some sort of clue that it was him, and the evidence would all lead back to...

Naruto, rolling his eyes replied "C'mon Sakura, we've been over this... We. Won't. Get. Caught. My planning is too perfect, we'll be all over that thing and then out in a flash, and because most of the sensei's are out on a mission, even if we do get seen we can just make our escape under cover of darkness!" He gave her a reassuring thumbs-up, a grin plastered across his face. This was going to be awesome, a prank that would definitely go down in Leaf Ninja history! Wait, do they even record all the pranks on the village?... If not that would be the first thing he changed when he becomes Hokage, people like him needed proper recognition! 

Sasuke nodded in agreement. "The dobe is right, there's no way we'll get caught if all goes to plan." Sasuke could still not believe he was agreeing to take part in this dumb-ass competition with the blonde idiot, but his competitiveness had taken temporary control, and before he knew it he was drawing up maps, blueprints, and detailed study into the architectural structure of a certain building... Even if the Dobe's plan turned out to be a flop, his prank would certainly have the edge.

Sakura chewed her lip nervously, but nodded. "Okay then...If you say so!" With that, she turned and sprinted off towards the Hokage monument, where they were planning their first prank. The pink-haired teen would act as lookout for the other two by sitting on top of the cliff.

"Alright then, let's get started with my epic plan!" Naruto shouted excitedly.  
>Sasuke whacked him across the shoulder. "Quiet you idiot, we don't wanna be heard by the whole village!"<br>Naurto grinned sheepishly. "Oh yeah, hehe... whoops!" Sasuke rolled his eyes, and the two teens proceeded to draw their chakra to their feet, and run up the sheer face of the cliff where they would then spectacularly deface the chiselled faces of the five hokages.

_-Ten minutes later-  
><em> 

"Aw yeah! This is awesome!" Naruto exclaimed in hushed excitement as he finished spraying Rock-Lee-style eyebrows onto Grandma Tsunade's face. To his left, Sasuke smirked as he completed a flamboyant curly moustache on the third's. 

Hn, he did find himself enjoying this task somewhat, even if it was a little stupid. When you were watching a hyped-up blonde like Naruto bounce around with a bright pink spray can on a giant stone face, you couldn't help but find yourself getting into the job. Ugh, what was he talking about. Such a stupid, unoriginal prank, yet so much... Dare he say it...Fun?

-Meanwhile in the village-

"AUUUUUUUUUUUGGGHHHHHH" " Kotetsu yawned lazily, his exhausted head resting on one hand. "I hate these night shifts, it's not like anybody is likely to want to enter or leave the village at this hour." He flicked a scrunched up piece of paper at his partner in annoyance.

"That's not the point" Izumo reminded him, snatching the paper out of the air and throwing it the nearby trashcan. "We have to be alert for attacks from enemy ninja, and aware in case of any disturbances in the village."

Kotetsu rubbed his eyes sleepily. Pfft, of course he knew the village was vulnerable to attack at this time, he just wanted an excuse to get to his damned bed! Groaning, he pushed himself up from his seat behind the counter at the entrance to the village, and strolled round to the front. Stretching his arms above his head and groaning loudly, he twisted around until he almost faced the cliffs, and did a double take in shock.  
>"Hey Iz, is it just me or can you see two dark smudges on the Hokage monument over there?" he asked, pointing back towards the mountains.<p>

Izumo followed his partner's finger, squinting through the dark. "Yeah..Yeah I see them too!" They could be enemy ninja, creeping in to the village at night in order to attack when people were at their most vunerable! He turned quickly to Kotetsu, trying to remain calm. "D'ya think we should alert the Hokage?" His mind raced frantically, as he squinted again through the darkness in an attempt to get a clearer view of the intruders of the village. An attack at this time, with so many Jounin away on a major mission? This was a crisis!

Kotetsu rolled his eyes as he observed his partner's silent panic, knowing it was probably all an overreaction as usual. "Naahh, she'll just be cranky at getting woken up this late. I say we head over there and check it out ourselves."  
>Not wanting to be accused of panicking over nothing, Izumo nodded stiffly, and set off after his partner.<p>

The two ninja ran swiftly side-by-side through the silent streets of Konoha. Leaf ninja guarding the village were often the only people awake at this time, so when you spotted others scrambling about on a cliff face, it was not unreasonable to assume that they were intuders. When they reached the base of the mountain, they took cover in the trees, and peered up at the small figures on the monument, who both oblivious that they were being watched. 

Both men were surprised by what they saw.

"Hey, that looks like that Uzumaki kid, there on the right!" Kotetsu whispered, spying the reflection of the bright orange jumpsuit.

"Yeah, and next to him's the youngest Uchiha, Sasuke! Didn't see him at first because he's all in black, but the clan symbol on his back can't be mistaken. What the hell are they up to?" Izumo wondered aloud.

His partner smirked, and turned to him. "It looks to me like they're doing some major re-decorating on Lady Tsunade's face. I can see some asses are going to get whipped by the end of this little stunt!"

"You think we should go up and grab them now? Catch them red-handed?" Izumo sneered, cracking his knuckles and beginning to stand up.

"No!" His partner tugged him back down. "I say we wait until morning when the big team of ninja get back. Then we can hand them over to their academy teacher, Iruka. I'm pretty sure he'd know what to do with them! Plus, the little rascals will have a chance for their work to be admired in daylight."

The other grinned in response. "Not only that, but they'll think they weren't noticed, and will have their guard down. And we can count on the Uzumaki brat to leave himself in enough mess that we can use as evidence."

The other chunnin smirked. "Deal, now let's get back to the gates"  
>Less worried, and somewhat amused, the two headed back towards the entrance of the village, both happy in the knowledge that the two teens would get what was coming to them the next day.<p>

_-The Next Day-_

"Man, that was awesome! My plan totally kicked-butt!" Naruto boasted loudly to Sasuke as they sat in Ichiraku for lunch, after admiring their work from last night at a distance. All around them, villagers were pointing up at the cliff-face, some of the younger ones laughing, and the older villagers shaking their heads and grumbling angrily.

But Naruto was unfazed by the reaction. In fact, he thought it was awesome! The more recognition it got, the better the prank was! "I bet you'll never come up with a prank to rival mine Teme, I'm just too incredible." he grinned, throwing his hands behind his head and leaning back. Unfortunately he had forgotten that they were sitting on high stools, and toppled backwards of his chair.

"Hn, Dobe. Actually I have a far superior idea lined up for our next prank. " The other teen retorted, jabbing his teammate in the shoulder as he attempted to climb back into his seat, causing him to land on his ass again. "OUCH, quit that will you?" The blonde complained loudly, managing to finally sit back down.

" And as for a 'superior' prank, HA! Yeah right, sure ya do" Naruto laughed. He then eagerly tucked into the ramen which had just been placed in front of them, with a satisfied feeling knowing they had pulled it off scott-free. Sasuke too began to eat, not at all worried about being caught. However, they were highly mistaken. 

The Uchiha was just setting his chopsticks down in front of him when he felt a strong hand roughly grab his collar and yank him up and off his stool, feet dangling. He clutched at his neck, while frantically looking around him, trying to identify his attacker, and saw that Naruto too had been pulled off his feet by another long arm. Sasuke kicked himself mentally for not sensing the approach from behind him. Really, what kind of Uchiha allowed themselves to be caught unawares while eating?

"NARUTO! SASUKE! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" They both flinched at the all-too-familiar yell of Iruka Sensei right next to their ears. "You boys are in MORE TROUBLE than you can imagine!"

He set them just as quickly down on their feet, and placing his hands on their shoulders, spun then round quickly to face him.  
>Both boys gulped at his bright red face, his white scar falling across it in stark contrast, and protruding vein pulsing with anger in his forehead. You could practically see the steam coming out of his ears! However, neither boy saw the funny side as he began to interrogate them again.<p>

"Would either of you care to tell me what exactly you were up to last night while I was out on a mission?" He asked through gritted teeth.

Naruto and Sasuke glanced at eachother, both seeing the silent panic in each other's eyes. Naruto was nervously shifting from foot to foot, rubbing the back of his head. Sasuke stood still, his face the picture of emotionless, but inside he was fuming. How the hell was he caught up in this? He made sure to remove every single piece of evidence linking him to the crime, and he was certain they hadn't been seen... He understood why an idiot like Naruto would end up getting caught, but he knew better!

When both boys remained silent, their sensei shook them roughly by the shoulder, his face growing darker.  
>"Fine, I'll ask an easier question. Were either of you involved with the horrific defacing of the Hokage monument last night?"<p>

Again, Sasuke was silent, staring at his feet, but looked up angrily at his friend when Naruto began to speak.

"We don't know nothin' about it Sensei, honestly!" He spluttered, as Iruka grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him closer.

"Oh really?" The older ninja asked sarcastically. "So if I were to describe our honourable Lady Tsunade with a monobrow and nostril hair it wouldn't ring any bells?"

Naruto attempted desperately to hide a smirk, but his not-so-subtle smile was not missed by Iruka, and his face fell as he saw the expression on the sensei's face.  
>"OH I DON'T THINK YOU'LL FIND ONE BIT OF THIS IS FUNNY NARUTO UZUMAKI!" he shouted, grabbing the blonde by the top of the arm.<p>

Naruto yelped loudly as he was swiftly spun around and swatted hard several times on the rear by his teacher. "Now tell me truthfully what happened!" he demanded, as a nervous looking teen was made to face him again, clutching his smarting backside. _Damn_, Iruka Sensei really didn't hold back on those swats, he was dreading what would come next!

"W-well sir..W-we may have.." He swallowed loudly, and desperately looked at the boy beside him for guidance. Sasuke himself was in despair, having honestly thought that they had gotten away with their little operation. Should they confess and receive an almost certain punishment, or continue to deny their involvement and risk getting an even worse outcome for their behinds? He decided on the first, knowing full well that he was going to end up with a spanking eventually. Somebody must have seen them in the act to know it was them, and he doubted that even he would be able to convince anyone otherwise.

"Yes sir, it was us.." He mumbled under his breath.

"WHAT WAS THAT UCHIHA?" Iruka Sensei screamed. "Speak UP boy."

Sasuke shivered as Iruka's breath washed over him, fearing a public spanking like Naruto had been subjected to on several occasions. Sure, Itachi had high expectations, and he was not a stranger to punishment at home, but it was usually only knuckleheads like the dobe standing next to him that got shouted at in the street. However, swallowing his nerves, he repeated "Y-yes sir...It was us who did it."

Iruka straightened up at the confession, brushing off his clothes, his expression straight-faced but full of fury. "Oh you two are really going to get it now." He warned. He grabbed each of them by their ears, and gave them both a tug. "Come along Sasuke, I'm taking you to your brother."

Sasuke paled at the mention of Itachi. It had been over a month since his last spanking, but he could still feel his brother's hand somehow. He shivered again when he imagined how angry Itachi would be with him now.

They were marched through the village towards the Uchiha residence. Villagers pointed and whispered, both at the two miscreants and at the monument above them, some of them giggling and some of them shaking their heads in disgust.

Two young ninja seated in a doorway observed as the troublemakers were pulled down the street. "Aw dude, Uzumaki is reaaaaally gonna get spanked by Iruka Sensei, he never holds back when he's this angry!" exclaimed Kiba Inuzuka, wincing as he watched Naruto receive another loud and powerful smack on the butt when he tried desperately to pull himself away from Iruka. "Last time I saw him this mad with Naruto, I could hear his wailing from up the street, and he couldn't sit down for three days!"

"Hm. What idiots." was the comment from the lazy boy beside him, Shikamaru Nara. "I'll admit it was pretty funny at first, but it's way too much effort, and you'll only end up getting punished. I guess it's nothing new from Naruto, but it's not very often you see Uchiha in this much trouble." He sighed and laid down, his hands behind his head. "How troublesome..."


	3. The Punishment: Naruto's turn

**I bet you guessed they wouldn't get away with it ;D But don't worry, those silly genin will get what's coming to them... Reviews motivate me, please give some feedback when you're done!  
>WhiteFang :)<strong>

Before long, the troublesome teens had reached the Uchiha household, where Sasuke lived alone with his brother.  
>"Naruto, don't get any ideas, you stay right here." Iruka warned with a snarl, as he released Naruto's ear in order to knock on the door, and placed his other hand on the young Uchiha's shoulder, shoving him forwards. Sasuke felt each of the hairs stand up on the back of his neck as he heard his brother's footsteps approaching the door. Frantic methods of escape ran through his head, plotting and analysing the situation, but to no avail. He could not seem to find a way out of a spanking in any situation. Well, unless he used the infamous Body-Flicker technique, or a substitution jutsu. And in either case, Itachi <em>still <em>would have hunted him down and pulled him over his knee.  
>The door opened with a creak, making Sasuke tremble. Not that he'd ever admit it. Uchihas were never scared!<p>

"Hello Iruka-sensei, may I help you?" asked Itachi politley, as he peered out to see his old teacher standing there. Looking down, he noticed his younger brother shifting nervously from foot to foot, staring at the ground, and behind him, Naruto Uzumaki, rubbing his backside and looking equally scared. His eyes narrowed as he put two and two together. "I do hope Sasuke-kun is not in trouble."

Iruka Sensei gave him a small smile. "Good to see you Itachi-san, and I'm afraid it's not under more favourable circumstances."  
>Ah, so Itachi's suspicions were correct. And Sasuke had been trying so hard recently... "Please elaborate Iruka." He prompted.<p>

Iruka nodded in acknowledgement, and explained what the duo had been up to, gesturing as he did so to the Hokage monument and to the teenagers beside him. As he spoke, Itachi's face remained expressionless, except for his eyebrows, which rose slightly when the chunnin finished his explanation.

"Thank you sensei, for bringing him here." He said with a grim smile. He turned to look as Sasuke, who was still glaring at the floor, as if attempting to sink into it. "Sasuke. Inside." He ordered coldly. Sasuke slowly looked up at him, and reading his annoyance plainly off his face, turned to frantically plead Iruka not to leave him alone with Itachi.  
>"Now, boy." Itachi's voice did not increase in volume one bit, but his tone turned from one of indifference to one of silent fury. Sasuke scurried inside, stealing one glance back at his friend. He was greeted with the round, sorrowful eyes of one in the exact same situation, and received a tiny twitch of the mouth in reassurance, before the door closed and he prepared to have his buttocks beaten as hot as a fireball jutsu.<p>

As the door shut on a terrified Sasuke, Iruka turned back to his own little orange demon, who at this point was slowly edging his way further down the path and towards the gates of the house. When he noticed his sensei had spotted him, he froze on the spot, and gave him a nervous grin, in a feeble attempt to inject some humour into the situation, and perhaps lessen his punishment. Hey, you could never be too optimistic, nor could you ever give up!

However, a highly irritated Iruka simply strode forward, grabbed him by the back of the collar once again, and dragged him back on the street, where he began the short walk to the apartment where the teen lived. Naruto's accommodation was much closer, so he decided to take him there rather than punish him in his own house where he would have preferred.

As he approached the front door, he yanked Naruto right off the ground and threw him angrily against it. The pathetic excuse for a door swung open instantly, leaving the teenager sprawled on his back in the entrance, groaning in pain.

"Hey Sensei, what the hell was that for?" he exclaimed angrily, rubbing his nose.

"YOU REALLY HAVE THE NERVE TO ASK THAT?" Iruka screamed back. Naruto shrank back in fear at his tone as Iruka began to advance on him. "THAT WAS FOR CREATING A HUGE MESS IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE, AND BELIEVE ME IT'S ONLY THE START." No, Iruka told himself, taking a deep breath. He must not get so worked up. The scar-faced ninja attempted to compose himself somewhat, clearing his throat, and pressing two fingers to his temples.

"To begin with Naruto, you and Sasuke will scrub every last bit of paint off those faces." Naruto's head dropped to his chest. "You will spend the next month filing paperwork for Lady Tsunade." Naruto's head shot back up, and his mouth opened in protest, but Iruka held up a hand to stop him. "Finally, I will take it upon myself to teach you a real lesson about respecting the Hokage and the village."

This was what Naruto had been dreading ever since Iruka had smacked him in the Ramen shop. Scrubbing for days on end? Hours of tedious paperwork for Granny Tsunade? He'd gladly do both for a year rather than face the wrath of Iruka sensei 's hand on his butt when he was this angry. He clenched his bottom unconsciously and began to slide himself back with his hands away from the fuming Chunnin in front of him.

Iruka ignored him, and simply walked over to Naruto's small bed in the corner of the room, and seated himself upon it. "Naruto, come here." He ordered, his voice controlled but obviously hiding anger.

Naruto shook his head frantically, pushing himself backwards a little more. His hands began to inch towards his butt, ready to spring in to action and protect it if necessary.

"Naruto. Get. Here. **NOW**." Iruka's voice was literally shaking with fury on that last word, and the blonde knew he had really pushed him to the edge. Years of harsh spankings when he misbehaved had left him with a healthy balance of fear and respect for his sensei, and he looked up to him like a father. However, while he usually restrained only a little when about to receive a punishment, this particular time he had consistently disobeyed him and tried to avoid the eventual outcome, which he knew was only making the situation worse for himself. But he was just so damn scared!

However, knowing he'd never be able to evade his punishment forever, he finally pulled himself together, and with his head hanging, slowly shuffled over to his sensei's right. In one swift movement, Iruka grabbed him and pulled him face-down over his lap, placing one hand on the small of his back and the other raised high above his head for the first smack. 

Naruto yelped loudly as the chunin's hand landed hard across his buttocks, able to feel the sharp sting through his pants and his underwear. The second and third landed in quick succession, and after that the blows rained hard and fast all over the seat of his pants. His palm came down with full force over and over, covering most of one cheek with each smack.  
>With each slap Naruto gasped and yelped in pain, legs kicking, as the burn set deeper and deeper into his behind. Iruka sensei was certainly not tiring, but it felt like his butt couldn't take anymore!<br>Suddenly, after what felt like hours, the spanking stopped, and Naruto drew in a deep, ragged breath of relief. His hand swung back to clutch his bottom, but was smacked away instantly.

"Naruto! Hands away, I'm warning you...We've barely even started."

Naruto gulped, but obediently placed his hand on the floor again, squeezing his eyes shut tightly to try to block out the burn. He was barely aware of Iruka's angry lecture beginning until he felt a hard smack to either cheek. He yelped once again, his eye's watering somewhat.

"NARUTO, WERE YOU LISTENING TO ME? Not only have you created a physical mess by defacing the honoured monument of the Hokages, which will need a huge amount of cleaning up, but you've never been in Lady Tsunade's good books, and this really could be the last straw for you! Do you really want to mess up your entire career as a ninja because of a stupid act of vandalism?"

"No, of course not sensei, I just-" "Be quiet Naruto, I'm not done!" Iruka reprimanded, strain evident in his tone of voice. "Do you have any idea how hard I have to fight for you in order to let Tsunade keep you on important missions, let alone have you continue as a ninja in Konoha _at all!_ You're in trouble more than ANY OTHER GENIN. How can you expect to be respected and become Hokage if you can't even respect any previous Hokages, those that you aspire to be like?"

One of the worst parts of Naruto's punishment was always the disappointment he heard in Iruka's voice. He wanted to please him, he really did, but sometimes other things just got in the way!  
>"I'm sorry sir, I really am, and I really want to be a ninja so that I can be Hokage!" the blonde exclaimed desperately.<p>

"That's not good enough Naruto and you know it, you tell me the same thing every time I spank you and you always end up over my knee again. You really need to learn a lesson this time."

And with that, Iruka grasped the waistband of Naruto's pants and jerked them down to his knees, exposing his bright orange boxers. Naruto breathed in sharply as the cool air hit his thighs, and he moaned loudly "No Iruka, not on the underwear, it hurts so bad!"

"Quiet Naruto." Iruka reminded him. "I warned you to be quiet. And anyway, I won't be spanking you over your underwear."

"Really sensei?" Naruto asked, with a hint of hopefulness. Iruka said nothing, but with another swift jerk pulled the teen's boxers down to meet his pants. At the same time, he raised his right knee and pushed Naruto's legs apart slightly, putting him in a better position and exposing un-spanked skin between his cheeks. Naruto cried out in shock as his heated buttocks were exposed to the cold air filling the room, and both of his hands instinctively sprang back to cover them. Before he could place comforting palms over them however, they were grasped in one hand by Iruka, and pinned firmly to the small of his back.

"UZUMAKI, I SPECIFICALLY TOLD YOU TO KEEP YOUR HANDS AWAY." Iruka roared, and the first spank thundered down on both already-reddened cheeks.

Tears springing instantly to his eyes, Naruto let out a howl that rivalled Akamaru's. How was it possible that one man's hand could cause so much pain! Every spanking was bad, but this one had barely started according to Iruka-sensei, and it already had the potential to surpass some of his worst ones.

Beginning at the top of his ass, Iruka worked his way down with quick, regular spanks, spending a good few minutes on each section. Naruto's yelps and gasps had developed into low groans and the occasional sob, letting him know that he was really getting through. He mentally sighed as he thought about the countless times they had been in this position, and how desperate and hopeless he'd felt when he first took Naruto into his charge, sure that discipline would have no effect on the little demon, and that he was a lost cause. However, over the years he had watched Naruto grow more caring, strong, and intelligent, and yes, he was often a knucklehead, and he still had a lot to learn, but Iruka now thought of him as almost a son, and was proud of him in many ways. But if anything, this strengthened his resolve to keep him on the right track, and after a brief lapse in strength he swung back into the spanking with renewed vigour, coming down hard on Naruto's sit-spots, which were already an angry, flaming red.

Barely noticing Iruka's momentary weakness, Naruto screwed his eyes shut to escape the blurry vision his tears had granted him, and continued to sob quietly, his breath growing more ragged as the spanking continued. Yup, this was definitely the worst spanking he had ever received from Iruka-Sensei... In fact probably his worst spanking ever!

Deciding that his lesson was thoroughly learnt, Iruka prepared his hand with his regular ending to a spanking, a few hard smacks with a chakra-filled palm. He raised his arm high above his head, and felt the warmth and energy of his chakra flowing through his fingers.

Naruto felt Iruka's hand leave his butt, and although relieved that he recognised the signs that is spanking was ending, he dreaded the part which came next. Without warning, the first of the five spanks came down on his right cheek. "AHH!" He exclaimed loudly, as the burn of the chakra penetrated the deepest muscles of his buttocks.

"Ohhwwww!" "AHHH" "Owwww!" he shrieked with each time Iruka's hand came down, and finally..  
>"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" as the last spank rained down, and he burst into further tears, lying limply over his sensei's lap.<p>

Iruka sighed and rubbed his palms together, able to feel the heat radiating off his right as he observed Naruto's helpless state. He really hoped Naruto would have learned this time, and he would not have to repeat this ordeal for a long time, of ever! (Although he highly doubted that.) Placing one hand on the shaggy blonde head, and with the other easing his boxers back over the deep red cheeks, he spoke to his student. "You know I always want to best for you Naruto, and I really want you to succeed. That is why I'm afraid I must do this."

They remained like that for a minute longer, before Naruto abruptly pushed himself up, gasping and wincing as he did so. "I-I know sensei.." he sniffed, his head down ashamedly and rubbing his nose in the way he always did when he was ashamed or worried.

Smiling gently, Iruka placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder as he walked towards the door. "Stay out of trouble Naruto-kun, or I'll be back sooner than you'd like." And with that he sprang out of the door and onto the rooftops, sprinting towards the Hokage building.

Closing the door lest anybody see his dishivelled state, Naruto stripped off his shirt and trousers which were tangled around his ankles, and threw himself onto his bed face first, groaning at the pain in his butt, which had now resided in sting but was providing an agonising and constant ache. As he softly cried himself to sleep, he wondered how the Uchiha-teme was coping with his scary older brother...


	4. The Punishment: The Turn of the Uchiha

**These chapters are coming up quicker than I thought they would! Anyway I'm really enjoying writing them, so just tell me if you want more, as I'm not sure whether to leave it here or not...**

**White Fang (:**

As the door closed on Sasuke's last hope of escape, he turned around slowly to face his brother, and was met with eyes of cold fury but a few inches from his face. Before he could react, or even breathe, he was being hauled forcibly towards the staircase in the entrance hall by the neck of his shirt, caught in the tight fist of Itachi Uchiha, one of the few people Sasuke could be truly frightened of. Especially when he was in this mood.

Without missing a beat, Itachi swiftly sat down on the fourth step of the stairs, and pulled his little brother over his knee, wrenching down his shorts and dark blue boxers as his ass passed under his hand. Sasuke gasped, and almost reached back in protest, but the spanking began instantly, and he could only moan and clutch at the stair under his face as Itachi's hand came down ruthlessly over and over again. His palm was solid and forceful, as each smack rippled across the taut white buttocks, which quickly turned to pink, and then scarlet, as the spanking continued.

Before long Sasuke was sobbing into his arms, wailing every now and then when a particularly stinging swat came down on his sit-spots or upper thighs. Itachi really was determined to hit everywhere wasn't he? Sasuke felt as though not an inch of skin had been neglected, even the sensitive and usually protected skin between his cheeks, which was harshly beaten by Itachi's punishing hands when he was bent further over his lap despite his protests, spreading his cheeks and giving Itachi better access to the more painful places to spank.

Sasuke's butt was a bright, flaming red before Itachi slowed his smacks, and began to speak. He began a steadier, slow, but no less heavy rhythm. Sasuke jerked forward with each spank, as his body had more time between them to react.

"You know very well why you have received this punishment Sasuke, and believe me when I say it is not over yet. You have one hour in which to compose yourself and prepare an explanation for your ridiculous and shameful behaviour. Then you will come to my study."

Sasuke strained his ears desperately to take in everything Itachi was saying over the loud slaps applied to his rear, and over his heartbeat still pumping frantically in his ears. He felt as though he'd been beaten raw, and Itachi's promise of more to come terrified him further than anything else. This was all Naruto's fault, the stupid dobe! He never would have been in this state if he'd ignored Naruto's infectious enthusiasm, and refused to take part in such an idiotic prank that was so obviously traced back to Naruto.

At the end of his speech, the smacks stopped after what felt like hours to Sasuke, and he was pushed abruptly off his older brother's lap, only to roll onto the remaining stair, his tender and excruciatingly sensitive ass colliding with the hard wood. He howled in pain, his eyes screwed shut, his bangs falling wildly across his face, and sprang up as quickly as he could. Sniffling and hitching his breath, he dragged his boxers and shorts delicately up his legs and butt, hissing as they made contact. When he was once again clothed, he turned to face the stair and dropped his head. "I-I'm sorry Itachi." He mumbled as respectfully as he could, in an attempt to gain his brother's approval.

"Hn." was the only reply he received, and when he lifted his gaze again Itachi was gone. Ashamed of his pathetic and childlike reaction to his spanking, Sasuke sprinted through the house towards the back yard, where angrily throw his kunai at the various targets painted on trees.

When he finally felt his anger and shame had subsided somewhat, he sniffed and wiped the tears from his face with the back of his hand. Composed but still scared, he prepared himself for what was to come next.

Precisely an hour later, Sasuke stood before the door of Itachi's study, having changed into looser clothing, and tenderly rubbing a horribly sore behind. His earlier outburst had really taken its toll on him, and he was beginning to seriously regret his angry shuriken-jutsu training. His brother was a stickler for time, something he too had inherited, and another reason why he got so pissed off when Kakashi-sensei turned up late.

"Get in here now Sasuke, stop being childish and avoiding what's to come." Itachi's cold voice broke through his straying thoughts, and after the initial cringe, he felt a stab of annoyance. He, Sasuke Uchiha, wasting time? How pathetic did his brother think he was? He pushed open the door and sauntered in with his hands in his pockets, his earlier resolution to be obedient in order to lessen his punishment long forgotten.

Itachi observed him walking in from his seat at his desk, and raised one eyebrow when he saw Sasuke's arrogant walk and indifferent expression. Did this boy have a death wish? Has he no respect?

Leaning against the wall, Sasuke pressed one foot against it, his leg bent. If Itachi thought he was being childish then he was damn well going to live up to it. He glared stubbornly at the floorboards, as the tension in the room grew with each passing second. Despite his confident entrance, his heart was pounding in his chest, as he realised how little he was helping his situation. Where the hell did all his Uchiha coolness go?

"Sasuke" Itachi called quietly. "Stand up." Sasuke's foot flinched at the order, but he remained in that stance, determined not to appear to accept his punishment. "_Now_." Itachi ordered again. Never mind, I'm going to die anyway. His foot dropped to the floor and he turned to face his brother.

Itachi lifted two fingers, and motioned with them, indicating that Sasuke come and stand in front of him. Slowly and reluctantly, he began to walk over, but after a sharp look from his brother he quickened his pace until he was a foot from the chair where he sat. The same look made him stand up smartly, but he kept his eyes on the floor, afraid to meet his brother's gaze.

They remained in this position for what Sasuke thought was hours. He hated to wait, even for something as dreadful as a spanking. He knew Itachi knew of his impatience so was further increasing his suffering by simply staring at him.

"Sasuke" Itachi suddenly began, with a voice as cold as ice. "You will explain to me why you appear to have no common sense, respect, or ability to think for yourself. It is obvious to me that Uzumaki was your reason for participating, but I would have thought as an Uchiha you would be able to see how ridiculous the entire event is, and not be stupid enough to involve yourself in it. I trust I am not wrong?"

Sasuke did not know how to answer, or even if he should. He simply kept his gaze in the ground, and swallowed again.  
>"You will answer when I speak to you Sasuke." His demand was now laced with anger rather than the icy calm it had previously.<br>"I-I can't.." was all that the young Uchiha could choke out. "Hn." Itachi sat for a moment, his gaze burning up his little brother and making him tremble. Then, swiftly as before, Itachi grabbed Sasuke by the upper arm and wrenched him over his knees. However this time his little brother made no protest, and hung resignedly over the lap beneath him, his hands on the floor and ass high in their air. Slowly, Itachi pulled his shorts down to his knees, quickly followed by his underwear. Sasuke struggled to contain his noises of protest, biting down on his lip instead as he felt the cold air caress his rear. He then waited in silent agony for the second part of his spanking to begin.

But instead of the sound of skin hitting skin, his ears were greeted with the clinking of metal, and the unmistakable noise of a belt being slid from its loop-holes. His eyes shot wide open with horror. "NO NII-SAN, please, I'm sorry, not the belt!" Sasuke struggled frantically to escape when he realised his brother's intentions. He rarely received the belt, as it was reserved only for the most serious punishments. Itachi must be even madder than he'd thought!

Itachi was letting his anger take hold of him, and he knew it, but decided to squash his sympathy for Sasuke's frantic cries, knowing his little brother fully deserved to get a hard punishment. Doubling over the belt in his right hand, he kept a firm hand on Sasuke's lower back before swinging the leather down hard over both cheeks. Sasuke emitted a sharp cry, before an agonised moan. As tears sprung to his eyes instantly, he threw a hand back to shield his ass. Itachi's hand was bad enough, he didn't know if he'd be able to get through a whole spanking with this! 

"Sasuke, you will stay still." Itachi ordered coolly, instantly pinning his little brother's defensive hand to the small of his back painfully, waiting for his struggling to subside. Accepting that his brother was far too strong for him, Sasuke let his head hang, sobbing, and resigned his other arm to clutching the legs of the chair.  
>The next few blows came down in quick succession, and another cry tore loose from Sasuke's throat. "I-Itachi nii-san, I-I'm sorry, please-" He choked out, but Itachi paused only for a second before continuing.<p>

After that the blows rained hard and fast once again, Sasuke sobbing heavily, and Itachi snapping the belt across his buttocks with practiced aim, hitting the painful undercurve as well as the rest of his cheeks. The minutes continued to pass, as Sasuke's butt grew steadily darker, having started out an even, bright red from his previous spanking. Now they were lined with deep red stripes from the belt. The raven-haired genin felt as though a fireball jutsu had been applied to his buttocks several times over!

Eventually, Itachi dropped the belt onto the desk beside him. Sasuke didn't realise at first that his punishment had stopped, still sobbing quietly into the crook of his elbow. When he did however, he sniffed and stayed where he was, hung limply over his brother's knees, awaiting further instruction. He was scared if he was at all disobedient Itachi would be tempted to pick up the belt again.

Itachi observed Sasuke's position from above. His shoulders jerked a little with each sniffle, his hair hung in front of his face hiding it from view, and his bottom was a painful patterned-red. Sighing, he bent over and grasped Sasuke's shoulders, pulling him up to stand in front of him. The younger Uchiha winced heavily as he did so, almost wishing he could have stayed where he was.

When he was standing in front of Itachi, head bowed, and trousers round his ankles still, Itachi finally spoke. "As I'm sure is blatantly obvious to you, your escapade with Uzumaki was stupid and irresponsible. You acted impulsively and childishly, and I am disgusted. Your entrance into this room only proved that to me." He breathed deeply, pressing a single finger to his temple. "As it appeared before, I assume you have no explanation for your behaviour?"

Sasuke shook his head silently.

"Well it seems you need more time to think of one, as you ignored my earlier request. You will spend two hours in the corner of this room, hands against the wall." Without speaking, Sasuke turned on his heel and shuffled the short distance to the corner. "And Sasuke.." He looked up and his older brother, and caught the red gleam of his sharingan. "I will know if you decide to disobey." With that he left the room.

Sasuke punched the wall angrily as Itachi disappeared through the doorway. Damn it, he hated his brother so much! For the hundredth time since his parents had died, he wished he had been left in the care of someone else. All Itachi seemed to do was work, read, make him train harder, and punish him! He really needed to take that stick out of his ass and let breathe a little. Sasuke was fifteen for the love of God, not ten! Why did his brother still reserve the right to tan his hide? 

He sighed, and slid his hand back down the wall to rest in front of him, desperatley fighting the urge to rub his throbbing ass. . Of course, he would say nothing of his thoughts to Itachi or his friends. That was the way of the Uchiha, and the way it would remain.


	5. The Plan: Version 2

**Sasuke is not a happy bunny!.. *evil plans begin to brew***

**Taking advantage of the fact my internet keeps going down to write lots this week! I'm spurred on my getting my first reviews, thank you so much! I'm not sure how to reply to them, but thanks a bunch, and keep them coming ^_^**

**WhiteFang .**

~One week later ~

"Ok boys, you can stop now." Kakashi called from where he was sitting, high in the branches of a nearby tree, where he was observing an intense taijutsu spar between two of his team. Sweating and panting heavily, Naruto pushed Sasuke off him, and climbed clumsily to his feet, a scowl adorning his face.  
>"But sensei, I was just about to kick his ass!" He complained loudly, pointing one finger at the Uchiha, who was dusting himself off, smirking.<p>

A sigh somewhat discernable from under his mask, Kakashi closed his book in his lap. These boys were too over confident for their own good. He knew it would be their downfall. "Don't kid yourself into thinking that Naruto-kun, you'll only end up disappointing yourself."

Sasuke snorted, and Naruto gave him a two-fingered salute, but before the blonde could retort angrily at either of them, the masked-jounin continued "Behave Naruto! But both of you, I was not impressed today... You both need a wake-up call, just because you have had few missions recently it does not give you an excuse to slack. You'd better get to work NOW."

At this, Sasuke too scowled angrily, and glared at his sensei until he disappeared in a puff of smoke, as always. Fuck Kakashi, always making him work himself to a pulp then tell him it wasn't good enough. Sometimes he seemed almost as sadistic as Itachi. Sasuke flashed back to the scene that previous week, when Itachi had finally come and released Sasuke from his position in the corner. Pulling his pants up, Sasuke had stormed off angrily, feeling he had been unjustly punished, yet Itachi had no sympathy for his condition, in fact seemed to work him harder than usual that entire week, despite the pain in his rear. Things were still very tense between them, and Sasuke had made every attempt to show his anger, but all were ignored by Itachi. And then Sasuke remembered... He remembered the reason he got in trouble in the first place, and realised it would give him the perfect opportunity to get revenge on his brother - and on Kakashi for that matter.

"Naruto, come here a second..." He spoke softly, his mind deep in thought and planning. "Eh?" the blonde replied, looking up curiously. "What do you want?"  
>"Just come here you dobe!" Sasuke snarled. Muttering angrily to himself, Naruto obliged, and seated himself next to Sasuke on the ground, legs crossed in front of him.<br>"Naruto..." Sasuke began hesitantly. "Just spit it out already teme!" Naruto cried in anticipation. Why did he have to tell him such an apparently important thing, and why was he telling him so darn slowly! The tension was TOO MUCH!

"Is our little bet still on?" Sasuke asked, turning towards his friend. "Because if it is, I have a pretty good idea of the next prank I want to pull..."

Grinning widely, Naruto slapped his partner on the back, ignoring his grunt of pain. "Man, I thought you'd forfeited! But sure thing, let's get down to business! Gimme all the details..."

And with that, they fell deep into discussion, seated on the floor in the middle of a clearing, on how they were going to prank the hell out of their most irritating people they knew.

~Two hours later~

The boys had run back to Naruto's apartment to continue their planning, as Sasuke needed a scroll on which to draw out the blueprints for his plan. They spread out on the floor of his bedroom, the Uchiha scribbling furiously, and the blonde slurping ramen eagerly out of a cup, questioning him every now and then, only to be glared at angrily and instructed to 'Shut up and sit down.' This continued for another hour, before Sasuke finally leaned back against the bed, shaking out his hand which had cramped horribly.

"So you're done?" Naruto exclaimed excitedly. "Can you explain this shit properly now?" He crawled over to Sasuke and stuck his head over his shoulder, his eyes flicking back and forth swiftly over the neat hand writing and detailed diagrams. 

"Hn, this will do." The other replied, although he failed to hide a slight smirk as he saw Naruto's confusion grow at the sheer scale and complexity of his plan. "I'll go as slowly as I can, and skip the bits your tiny brain can't comprehend. Ignoring the 'Shut up teme' he received in response, he began to motion towards the blueprints, and to point out the parts he was explaining.  
>"The concept is simple but effective, for me anyway. I want to murde-ahem, 'get revenge' on Itachi, and we both want Kakashi and the other jounin to get what's coming to them. I'm sure you're aware of the conference and meeting room located in the Hokage building?" Naruto nodded in response. He continued "Well this is where the main part of our prank will be staged. Adjoining this room is one that provides all the plumbing and heater systems for the building, and it is filled to the brim with pipes, boilers, and taps. You will act as the decoy and reason to get as many jounin as possible, but especially Itachi, into the conference room, where I will be waiting next door to set off a series of explosions that will flood the entire room. Locked in and off-guard in their apparent safety, those fools will be soaked to the skin, maybe even drowned, but mostly humiliated at having been outsmarted by those of a lower rank. They're so high and mighty, we'll teach them who really runs this place." Finishing by slamming a fist onto the maps to emphasise his point, Sasuke looked at Naruto to gauge a reaction.<p>

"Tha-that's genius Teme! Let's get started right now!" Naruto jumped up, pumping his fist into the air. Rolling his eyes, Sasuke grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him down to land heavily on his ass.  
>"Ouch you bastard, what the fuck was that for?"<br>"Don't wet your pants you idiot, we still have a lot more prep to do before the operation can commence."  
>Huffing, Naruto let his chin drop on his hand, and listened grudgingly to Sasuke explaining his role in the prank. Fine, he'd listen to the teme, but only because he wanted to pull this off!..He still thought he was a bastard though...<p> 


	6. The Prank Commences

**Aha, so the plan commences! You've been guessing if they will manage to pull off their prank this time... We'll just wait and see ;) Oh and I'm sorry about how short the last chapter was, but I thought it should be separate to this one, so it went up anyway O.0 And if anybody has any questions they want to ask, write them as a review and I'll answer up here next chapter!  
>WhiteFang ~^~<strong>

"Kyuubi to Raven, I am in position and ready to move, do you read me? Over." Naruto breathed into his microphone as silently as he could, glancing nervously around him. Their prank was about to commence, the one they had been preparing for two days. Everything now hung on how successfully these next few minutes played out.

"Affirmative, I hear you loud and clear. Make your move in the next thirty seconds, over." Sasuke's voice crackled through his earpiece, making Naruto want to desperately itch his ear. Man, he hated these things, they tickled so damn much! But he acknowledged Sasuke's words, and prepared commence the operation. At that moment, the opportunity he had waited for so patiently finally arrived. From where he stood inside the doorway of the Konoha aviary, he saw the ninja who had just finished cleaning up for the morning jump casually off the roof of the building, off to eat his lunch. According to the watches he and his teammate had been doing, Naruto now had approximately one and a half minutes to carry out the first stage of the plan.

Glancing back one final time, the blonde moved swiftly towards two of the bird cages on the far corner of the roof, where a small falcon sat in each. As he approached the cage, the two birds stopped preening their feathers and stared at him keenly. Swallowing his nerves, he quickly flung open the door of the first cage, and the bird inside swept past him, shooting into the sky, where it would provide an instant signal for jounin of the village to make their way to the meeting room. He watched it ascend, then opened the second cage, and clumsily attached a small scroll to the leg of the falcon. It cocked its head in curiosity at his antics, and then nipped him sharply on the top of his ear. "Ouch, fuck, stupid bird..." Naruto grumbled under his breath. It then flew past him into the sky directly, where it would fly to the ANBU base to deliver an urgent summon to Itachi Uchiha, who, if all went to plan, would obey the command from the 'Hokage' and come to the conference room as fast as he could.

As soon as he saw it was on course, Naruto sprinted to the wall of the roof and jumped off the side, landing on his feet just as he heard the door on the other side of the building close, meaning the ninja on the next shift had just started his ascent to the roof. Smirking to himself, he pressed the button on the side of his microphone and spoke into it excitedly. "Teme, it went alright, the birds have taken their messages to the skies! And you were right; the falcon on standby to summon the Leaf Jounin was right where you said it would be! And the ANBU one!"

Hissing softly at the loud annoying voice that had blasted his ear, Sasuke pressed his microphone and replied quietly with a voice laced with venom. "You fucktard, speak quietly! Get here now; I'm almost finished setting up. Over." He heard Naruto's whispered 'Oops' and rolled his eyes. How the hell had he survived any missions working with such a dobe for a teammate, he did not know.

The Uchiha stood silently, and grabbed the next paper bomb he was going to stick to a large pipe spanning the length of the room. He was in the total darkness of the boiler room, but worked swiftly and accurately, being careful not to misplace any bombs and risk blowing his hand off. This was why he had assigned himself to this job, not Naruto.

Hearing voices enter the room next door, he felt both anger and confusion that Naruto was still nowhere to be seen. He was supposed to have made it back here before the jounin started arriving, or else he would not be able to lock the victims in, or get trapped in the flood. Trusting that he would hopefully not be stupid enough to get caught wondering about the Hokage building without reason, Sasuke jumped agilely up onto a large copper pipe several feet above his head, where he would begin the series of explosions that would shortly commence. Using his chidori, he planned to set off the first lightning-activated paper-bomb attached to a short string. Using the time it took for the fuse to burn down, he would spring to safety out of a small open window set in the wall. Before the jounin had been summoned, he had ensured that every window and door in the meeting room had been sealed, obviously excluding the door through which they must enter. This ensured that as long as Naruto managed to get here soon and lock the door on them, they would be like trapped rats in there.

His stomach began to twist with each passing second, as Naruto still failed to arrive. He could now clearly here the room filling up with ninja, confused voices all bubbling over eachother, questioning their reasons for being called. He shivered when he heard the cold voice of his older brother enter the room. Shit shit shit, where was that idiot? The whole plan was going to do down the drain if nothing happened soon! 

Then suddenly, he heard a door slam loudly, and the room next to him fell silent. Shaking his head in annoyance yet moving as fast as lightning, he smashed his chidori into the bomb on the pipe under him, and leapt to the window, only to instantly fall back in shock as he saw his escape route was blocked by a blonde spiky idiot climbing eagerly through the window.

"DOBE, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" he screamed at Naruto, who's head shot up at his tone of voice.  
>"I-I'm joining you, like you said!" He stuttered, his eyes widening in fear as he stared at Sasuke's face. Well, he can't be blamed for looking pretty damn horrified at his expression; it just about showed every emotion running through his mind.<p>

A loud crack behind Sasuke caused him to be shocked back into movement. Grabbing the front of Naruto's jacket, he desperately tried to shove him through the small opening, but his awkward position meant he could not fit through.

Any further efforts they made were in vain. The next lot of explosions happened in quick succession, causing water to burst out in every direction, smashing through the boiler room door and dragging the boys with the rush of water. Over the loud gushing of water in their ears they could just about hear the shouts and cries of other ninja in the room they has just flooded into, but the explosions had finally ceased. Naruto flailed about desperately in an attempt to get his footing, but the water was too strong, and he was continually pulled under by the current. He grew worried when he realised he'd lost sight of Sasuke.

Suddenly, Naruto felt a hand grab part of his clothing, and he was hauled out of the water by strong arms. Gasping and coughing, he tried to make sense of their surroundings. As his sight became clearer, he observed that he was dangling by the back of his pants from the hand of a soaking wet and very pissed Iruka Sensei, who was standing horizontally with both feet planted against the wall, held by chakra. Glancing up, he saw Sasuke was in an identical position opposite to him, except he was being held by the back of his shirt, and by a blank-faced but terrifying Itachi Uchiha. Finally, Naruto looked around at the rest of the room and its occupants. A window had apparently been forced open, causing a large majority of the water to leave the building. What was left formed a three –inch-deep puddle that covered the entire floor of the room. Furniture that had been thrown around by the flow had settled on its side all over the room, giving the image of contained, underwater chaos. However, what Naruto found most terrifying was what sat atop of this chaos. All around the walls, and perched on the upturned furniture stood most of the population of Konoha's jounin, the majority dripping wet, and all looking furiously at him and Sasuke.

Before he could react to any of this however, a stinging and powerful smack on his butt sent him sprawling into the water below, landing with a loud splash. Spluttering, he pushed himself on to his feet, only to find himself cowering under the gaze of Iruka sensei. Oh crap, oh crap, he thought he may as well give up on being a ninja seeing as his butt is never going to recover. Making a split second decision, he bolted under Iruka's arm and made for the door, only to find it firmly blocked by a stern-looking Asuma-sensei, one of the few who had managed to stay dry. Before he could find another escape route however, he was picked up round the waist by his sensei, and was carried under their arm to a sofa in the centre of the room. 

"H-hey! What are you doing, put me down!" Naruto protested loudly at his manhandling, but Iruka ignored him, just sitting down promptly on the seat and planting the blonde face down over his lap. His trousers were peeled down to his knees, along with his boxers, all of which were sodden with water.

"Please sensei, I'm sorry! Not here in front of everyone!" Naruto begged, kicking his legs desperately. Not a public spanking! This is so embarrassing, what did I ever do to deserve this? Unsurprisingly, Iruka did not heed his words. Instead, the blonde heard a loud, wet slap. He froze at the noise, and a second later the pain hit him. "YOOWWWWWWW!" he screamed, as the burning sting set fire flaming through his backside. Iruka waited not a second more, and began to spank Naruto's butt with more vigour than even he thought possible.

As Naruto bucked and wailed on their comrade's lap, a few if the ninja in the room turned away awkwardly at a grown boy being chastised so publicly, but the majority made noises of approval, some even smirking and nodding their heads.

Asuma was one of these ninja. He approved of Iruka's instant action, that boy needed a damn good ass-warming, and he probably would have stepped up himself if Umino hadn't been to freakin' mad. He knew he would have done the exact same thing if it was Chouji or Shikamaru behind this stunt, even though it was highly unlikely Shikamaru would have ever sacrificed precious nap time to pull off a pointless prank.

Naruto's punishment continued, his butt growing steadily redder, and Iruka's hand refused to tire. The blonde had however lost all sense of embarrassment, as all he could think of was the pain and his desperation for it to end. This was Sasuke's fault, it's his stupid plan!

Meanwhile on the other side of the room, Sasuke and his captor had dropped onto the floor below. The young Uchiha could hear his friend's painful cried from across the room, but was trapped in the gaze of his older brother, who was currently glaring him into the ground, probably trying to incinerate him on the spot. He attempted to keep eye contact as Itachi would expect of him, but his brother's eyes were just too penetrating. His body language matched his eyes, Sasuke could see his fists were trembling slightly, and his usually effortless blank expression seemed forced and too controlled.

Without warning, Sasuke's head was snapped sideways, as Itachi's palm moved at the speed of light to backhand him across the cheek. At the sound of the slap, the heads of everyone in the room jerked away from the sight in the centre, and they all turned to look at the Uchihas with shock. The exceptions were of course Iruka and Naruto. Iruka did not even pause in the admonishment of the punishment, and Naruto was too engrossed in his own chastisement to notice another's.

Sasuke gasped as the force of the slap left his sight blurred, and the sharp sting was followed by an almost immediate ache. He slowly turned back to face his elder brother, who seemed surprised by the actions of his own limbs. A second passed where they stared at eachother once again, then Itachi formed a hand sign disappeared silently. A tear slid slowly down Sasuke's face, leaving a glistening trail down his reddened cheek, and curving a path into the corner of his mouth, where he tasted the sharp salt of the emotion. He could not understand what he was feeling, and why he appeared to be crying. Feelings of shame, regret, anger, fear, and worthlessness all ran through his mind while he stood perfectly still.

Mumbling and whispered conversation grew quickly between the rooms occupants. One silver-haired ninja who had been leaning against a wall in the corner of the room now stood silently and made his way over to Iruka, who'd hand was still pounding down on the blonde's butt cheeks, the owner of which was still sobbing loudly. He placed a hand on the brunettes shoulder, and he instantly stopped spanking, glancing at the hand on him then looking up towards the face. Kakashi raised his eyebrows, and they two seemed to come to some telepathic agreement, as Iruka allowed Kakashi to help Naruto off his lap, let him pull up his pants, still sniffling, and placing a hand on _his _shoulder, lead the limping boy over to his teammate. Kakashi placed his other hand on the dark-haired teen's unruly head, and the three disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Those left behind in the meeting room were still annoyed, some still upset, and all surprised at the series of events that had just taken place. Leaning back in his seat, Iruka placed a sore hand over his eyes, breathing deeply. The strength of his emotions surpassed that of anybody else in the building.


	7. The Discussion

**Well that prank didn't go quite to plan did it? ;) I'm awfully sorry I haven't updated in so long, I've been a little downhearted and discouraged at some of the silly hate I've been receiving, hence my usual speed of writing has been decreased somewhat... Either way, here's the next chapter, and I hope you like it (: Oh and for those wondering, 'the slap' was so shocking because it was a public display from the usually reserved and private Uchiha's, not because of the nature of it!  
>Remember to review, it makes me write faster!<br>WhiteFang ^_+**

Kakashi, Sasuke and Naruto appeared instantly in a tiny clearing surrounded by dense woodland, on the edge of the village. The blonde fell theatrically to his knees, moaning loudly and desperately rubbing his aching and tender backside. Iruka really hadn't held back! As he massaged it, wincing, he recalled the deep humiliation he'd felt at getting a spanking of that magnitude in front of so many people... All ninja he aspired to be like!

Meanwhile Sasuke had not moved from the spot where he stood. His arms were rigid at his sides, his eyes wide and staring forwards, the ghost of a bruise was beginning to form on his cheek, a pale shadow under even paler skin.

Kakashi observed them both from where he stood, then decided promptly to get _his_ point of view across. Striding swiftly across the length of the clearing, he grabbed the back of Sasuke's shirt with one hand, and stooping down, grabbed Naruto's collar with the other, and continued marching them straight until he came to the large tree stump he had eyed from the distance, where he sat down and placed the two miscreants in front of him. He was tall enough that they were eye level with him when he was seated, although at this point, they were both failing to keep eye contact.

Deciding to begin with the most worrying-looking of the two, Kakashi spoke to Naruto. "Uzumaki, you see that rock over there between those two trees?" Naruto followed where his sensei was motioning to with his head, and then nodded nervously. "Good, well I want you to sit on it, facing away from me, until I say you can move."  
>"Aw but sensei, i-it'll really hurt!" The blonde whined, blowing up his cheeks stupidly and pouting. Raising his eyebrow, Kakashi gave him a look that sent him hurrying towards the rock in seconds. Once he saw that he had obeyed, seating himself carefully, the masked-ninja turned back to the other trouble maker, who was still avoiding his eyes.<p>

"Sasuke, I have a pretty good idea of what you're feeling right now, but I need you to know, things aren't always what they seem." Kakashi spoke in a hushed voice so as to stop Naruto's keen ears from listening in. Sasuke still refused to look up however, simply sniffing once in response.  
>"Itachi... He thinks so highly of you, he sometimes has trouble-" He was suddenly cut off as Sasuke's head shot up, sharingan-activated eyes glowing fiercely, his face the picture of fury. "You shut up, you have NO idea what you're talking about, THAT'S BULLSHIT!" He growled, then yelled into his sensei's face, pulling a kunai knife out and jabbing it threateningly towards him.<p>

Shocked by the intense reaction, Kakashi almost stood up, but thought he should first try to calm the Uchiha down before making any moves. Naruto's head had shot around at the yelling, but Kakashi shouted a warning across to him. "UZUMAKI! I said turn around, _now_!" He obliged quickly.

Holding up both hands, he tried to subdue Sasuke. "You need to _calm down_ and hear me out. Itachi l-"  
>"DON'T EVEN MENTION HIM YOU BASTARD, YOU KNOW NOTHING!" Sasuke grew ever more threatening, now attempting to press his knife to Kakashi's throat. Deciding he'd had enough of this unreasonable behaviour, the silver-haired jounin easily grabbed the offending wrist, and with a forceful jerk, pulled the Uchiha over his knees. As soon as he was in place, he raised his hand above his head and landed ten extremely hard smacks to the seat of the boy's shorts.<p>

Winded by the sudden force against his rib cage as he was jerked down, Sasuke then let a sudden breath out as he felt a hand pound down on his backside. A millisecond after the first smack, the pain registered, and he almost gasped at the intensity of the sting rippling across his ass, but instead struggled manically to push himself off his captor's lap.  
>Expecting Sasuke to surrender after a few warning swats, Kakashi was unprepared when, with a sudden burst of strength, he managed to force himself off his lap and make a break for it across the clearing. He managed to get level with Naruto's boulder before his sensei appeared suddenly in front of him, the part of his face visible looking irritated and dangerous. He made his way over to Sasuke before the teen could get any further, and in one swift manoeuvre, bent him over, threw his muscled arm around the slim waist, and tucked the boy securely under his arm. Then without hesitation, he yanked down the shorts and boxers with his other hand and started spanking his mischievous behind with as much force as he could muster.<p>

Sasuke howled after just a few of these powerful smacks, tears pricking the back of his eyes instantly. His butt burned like a furnace, and any attempt of escape his knew was futile in his submissive and trapped position. He realised, even though he hated the thought, that he was not going anywhere until his sensei deemed him thoroughly punished. From previous experience, Sasuke knew that although fair, Kakashi was a strict disciplinarian, and his spankings nearly rivalled Itachi's, although were somewhat more frequent.

Naruto had to physically hold himself to the boulder in order to stop himself jumping away from his angry sensei, who was currently laying into the behind of his best-friend just a few feet away. His head remained firmly turned away for fear of Kakashi catching him otherwise, but he screwed his eyes shut and tried to distract himself as Sasuke's howl of pain pierced his ears. Scared for his friend, but also for his own butt, Naruto just hoped Kakashi didn't have any plans for _this _rear-end.

Kakashi was extremely pissed at Sasuke's attitude towards his attempt at helping him. He wasn't even certain he would punish Sasuke at first, but his furious outburst and disrespect he'd shown reminded him just how much the boys still needed to learn and understand. Sighing mentally, he increased the speed of his spanks, watching his student's ass buck and wriggle to try and avoid the swats, turning from white to deep pink in a matter of minutes. His hand came down over and over in a steady rhythm, receiving gasps and suppressed moans in response, along with the occasional 'OWWWWW!' . When Sasuke's butt was a thorough and flaming scarlet, and he had finally surrendered fully and stopped struggling, Kakashi slowly lowered his smarting palm, secured the limp teen under his arm, and carried him over to the tree stump they had started at. Sitting down, he dropped the young Uchiha on his feet in front of him. His eyes swum with reluctant tears, and his hand looked ready to reach back and protect his still-bared buttocks.

Kakashi decided it was time he was fully heard. "Sasuke, I'm sure you understand why I felt you deserved that punishment. Not only did you set up a ridiculous prank which you had not yet been properly punished for, you were extremely disrespectful and violent when I had done nothing that should have offended you." Sasuke stayed quiet, but his eyes flashed with annoyance, and his fists clenched. Irritated that Sasuke was still being childish, Kakashi raised an eyebrow and a hand simultaneously in warning. "Your butt feeling a bit cold, Sasuke? I'm sure you don't need me to heat it up." Sasuke's eyes widened, and his hands unclenched, inching back to press against his butt cheeks in case needed protection, allowing Kakashi to continue.

"As I said before, you really need to understand the issue you believe holds apart you and Itachi is actually something entirely different. Itachi is extremely proud of you and all your achievements, but I believe he feels uncomfortable telling you outright, especially since the death of your parents, as although he has somewhat filled the role of a father, he feels that it is a father's right to praise their son, not a brother's. And although proud of you, he also sees the same incredible potential you have inside you that could be reached if you focus your studies and training. This is why he appears to push you so hard, even when you see no reason to do it to such extremes."

Sasuke, subdued once more, interrupted quietly. "You're wrong, you don't understand how... How he treats me, like I'm an insignificant, naughty little kid, a- an- and I can _never _be good enough for him..." he growled under his breath.

"That's where you're wrong Sasuke. He 'treats you' like he does because it frustrates him, as it does me, when you put effort and energy that could be spent improving your strength as a ninja to participate in pointless pranks, brawls, and wasted time sulking. He feels that you do not listen to him even though he knows what is best for you, and although you may feel too controlled and manipulated, he really does only want the best for you Sasuke. You _have_ to understand that. He loves you Sasuke, as I'm sure you love him, even if you're both too proud and stupid to admit it." Kakashi finished his speech softly, a smile discernable from under his mask. He observed Sasuke's face carefully, and was both surprised and touched to see a tiny, reluctant tear escape the dark eyes in front of him, trickling slowly down his pale cheek only to end its journey rolling into the corner of his mouth.

Standing up, Kakashi placed one hand gently on his student's unruly dark hair, and pulled his head against his chest in what was intended to be a brief hug. However, when Sasuke did not pull away as he had expected, they stood there for a moment longer, Kakashi feeling glad that the strong master-student bond they shared had not broken down with time, and Sasuke that he had someone with whom he could have moments like this, rare and precious in a life like his, and although he felt the touch awkward and uncomfortable, he resisted pulling away.

As Kakashi stepped back, Sasuke appeared to register that his underwear was still around his knees, and he bent quickly in order to pull them back up. Chuckling, Kakashi ruffled his hair, and pointing him to the boulder where Naruto still sat rigid, he instructed "You're to go over there and sit straight as Naruto has done until I say you can get up. Send your pal over to me now." Giving him a not-so-gentle pat on the ass to get him moving, inducing a hiss of pain from the victim, Kakashi watched patiently as the swap took place.

While Kakashi had carried Sasuke back over to the stump, Naruto let out a sigh of relief. He'd been damn well terrified as well as sympathetic after sitting right next to the teme getting spanked. It was not a rare thing for the two of them to witness each other's spankings, seeing as they got in trouble together so much, but usually Naruto knew whether he was in for it or not. This time, he had no idea if Kakashi was going to grab him from behind and start laying into his ass too!

He heard snippets of the conversation that followed, and all too soon he heard 'Dobe, get over there' accompanied by a tap on the shoulder. Slowly getting up and turning around, he saw his dark-haired rival, slightly red around the eyes from his crying, and slouching with both hands in his pockets. His appearance made the blonde even more nervous. That emotionless Uchiha bastard nearly _never_ cried, except in the few instances where Naruto had seen Sasuke directly after Itachi punished him, or when he was actually being punished. And here he was reduced to sniffling tears still ten minutes after his spanking had ended.

Gathering his courage, Naruto pulled himself up to his full height, and strode past Sasuke, looking back briefly to see him take his place on the boulder, sitting slowly and tenderly. Naruto winced imagining the pain in his friend's butt. He continued his long strides right up until he was just a few metres from Kakashi, when he slowed down to almost a snail's pace, suddenly losing his bravado.

Resisting the urge to laugh at his student's sudden decline in speed, Kakashi lifted a hand to his mouth and called out to him. "You're not making anything easier by avoiding this Naruto!" He smirked in satisfaction when the blonde jumped and scurried over to him at a significantly quicker pace. When he was stood in front of him once more, intently studying the ground with his hands clasped behind his back, Kakashi decided to amuse himself by letting him squirm for a while.

Naruto felt he had been standing for hours, the ache in his butt refusing to fade the longer he stood. And he though sitting down was painful, this was agony! Finally, after what felt like a century, his sensei cleared his throat and began the dreaded lecture.

"Naruto, I really thought Iruka had got through to you last time you pulled a stunt like this. Obviously I was wrong. Maybe you aren't cut out to be a ninja." At these words, Naruto's head shot up, and he shouted desperately at his the silver-haired ninja. "No sir, please, I have to be a ninja, or else I'll never be Hokage!"

"But what I fail to understand Naruto, is why, if you are so intent on being Hokage and rising to the top position in the village, you continue to carry out stupid pranks like this! You're fifteen years old, not five, so if this is a cry for attention it's pathetic, because none of it is getting you any respect." Kakashi finished his reply with a hint of anger in his voice. What was it with boys this age that made them refuse to listen and obey _any_ instruction, however basic.

Rubbing a finger under his nose and shifting from foot to foot nervously at the change in tone of his sensei's voice, Naruto thought about what he'd said. It was true in one way, that pulling pranks was not going to force people to respect him. And obviously, pulling pranks and getting in trouble had the very negative outcome of getting a spanking from one of his sensei's if he was found to be the culprit. But on the other hand, being stuck on mediocre B-rank missions had made him feel like he was barely recognised by the higher-ups of the village, and if he was getting into trouble, at least he occasionally knew he was being discussed. He was desperate not to let his name fade from people's minds like it used to, when he was totally ignored by all the adults, and even by children his own age, who all thought a 'monster' like him didn't deserve any attention. Back then, he would revert to pranks so that he would force others to acknowledge him, even if he ended up over their laps.

"Sensei, nobody seems to wanna acknowledge me anymore... I work really hard on missions, and I train super hard, but people who rise to Hokage aren't just average ninja, EVERYONE knows their names from the moment they start training... How am I meant to be Hokage if-" He was interrupted by Kakashi jabbing an outstretched finger at his forehead. "Naruto, _use your head_ for once. This is not the only way to be recognised. To be respected and acknowledged, you need to go out of your way to get stronger, help the village, and excel on missions. There may be people who tell you that you can't do it, but there are also people who believe in you and want you to succeed. Listen to them; I think you know who they are..." He lifted and eyebrow, and Naruto squirmed under his gaze, feeling guilty for having ignored Iruka.

"Now, hopefully you've understood me, so let's get back to the matter at hand. Naruto, why did you feel it was necessary to plan such a ridiculous and potentially dangerous stunt?" The trace of anger had returned to Kakashi's voice, and he felt determined to let the blonde know it. "You may think it was fun at first, but let me remind you that both you and Sasuke were trapped in a small room filled with paper-bombs, and could have been either blown apart or drowned. Would that have been fun?" Naruto inwardly cringed as he pictured the scene, and tried to recall why he'd thought it was a good plan in the first place.

Deciding to cut to the chase once he realised Naruto was regretting his actions, Kakashi grabbed the teen's wrist and easily pulled him over his lap, meeting little resistance from the teen in question. Swiftly jerking down the boy's pants and boxers, ignoring the hiss of pain and groan that accompanied it, he observed the behind that lay in front of him. Naruto's butt was still a deep, smouldering red, and his cheeks were still imprinted with the faint handprints of Iruka, confirming that he'd really let the boy have it this time. And he hadn't missed a spot either! Even the back of his thighs were scarlet, which must have made sitting on that rock extremely uncomfortable. Even so, Kakashi thought he needed to reinforce the day's lessons. Lifting his hand above his head, he brought it down hard on Naruto's right cheek. On the freshly-spanked skin, he knew it must have been agony, so he was unsurprised when the blonde let out a whimper of pain. This did not deter him however, and he picked up a steady rhythm of smacks, not as forceful as Sasuke's had been, but powerful nonetheless. Naruto cried out with every few smacks, his eyes beginning to spill over with tears after just a minute. Kakashi continued this pattern of smacks all the way down his butt from right at the top of the cheeks to just below the crease, his hand thundering down hard enough to jerk the body atop him with each spank.

However, feeling merciful, Kakashi decided to end the spanking after 8 minutes. Gasping with relief when the smacks finally stopped, Naruto eased himself off his sensei's lap and stood once again in front of him, hands clasped. "Let's get a look at it then boy" Kakashi instructed, moving his finger to indicate he wanted Naruto to turn around. The teen did as he was told, and after the silver-haired ninja had observed that it was back to its former glory of deep, glowing red, he called to his other miscreant of a student that he should join them.

Relieved that he could finally remove himself from the damned rock, Sasuke hurried over quickly, only to find himself pulled into the chest of his sensei, ending up face to face with his best friend/rival. Both seemed uncomfortable with their cheeks smushed against Kakashi's rock-hard muscly chest, but they were released before too long, and were held by their shoulders, facing their sensei.

"Now boys, I'm willing to put this incident behind us as long as you both heed the advice I have given you, or else there WILL be consequences." Both boys gulped and glanced at eachother at the very mention of the word.  
>"Oh, and just so you know, the bet between you is NOT to be replicated or repeated again. Look where the two of you have ended up, and you gained nothing from it except more cockiness if you were to win." Kakashi smirked as he watched their faces drop in shock that he'd known of their little bet all along. They thought they were so slick, but like he'd said before, they had a lot to learn. The punishments of the day finished, the three of them decided to head home, all of them feeling sore and exhausted, and though the first was not so true for Kakashi unless you counted his hand!<p> 


	8. The Confrontation

**If I could apologize with the force of a thousand chidoris, I would. I haven't updated in FOREVER, and some of you have guessed why. I know it's silly but the hate reviews I received really did get me down. I suppose with this being my first story I underestimated how hurtful hate could be, so I was put off writing this for quite a while. :'( But don't worry, I'm back and determined to finish! And I want to say an HUUGE thank you to the lovely ****Veraison****, my most faithful and supporting reviewer! I wish I could say thank you personally for getting me off (Or rather on) my ass and typing . Wow, I was so desperate to have this up tonight it's now 4:46am. Please, appreciate my efforts.  
>Don't forget to review, that's what controls my fingers!<br>WhiteFang . RAWR**

The gates of the Uchiha compound opened slowly as the youngest Uchiha slid in through the gap between them. Closing them as silently as he could, he Sasuke made his way up the path towards the door, trying not to make too much noise as his feet crunched on the rocks that littered the ground.

He was hoping not to alert his brother to his presence; he felt he'd had enough damn drama for one day. All this mixed emotion was foreign to him, and all he really felt like doing was getting something to eat and going to his bedroom.

Sasuke couldn't believe he'd shown his weakness like that in front of Naruto and Kakashi. Naruto had been turned around but he was pretty certain he would have noticed afterwards, and Kakashi probably though he was some kind of pathetic crybaby now. What a fucking nightmare the day had been.

From a vantage point on a nearby roof, Itachi watched his brother creeping towards their house. He was unsure of exactly how to deal with his little brother now. His disobedience had been getting so far out of hand recently, and it seemed his efforts to keep him in line were having no effect.

And that _ridiculous_ stunt this afternoon really had been the last straw, enough to cause him to lose his Uchiha composure and strike Sasuke across the face in front of a room full of comrades. He just failed to understand what it was Sasuke was trying to achieve with this behaviour. Did he really think he was going to achieve anything at the rate he's going? By fifteen, Itachi was a well established jounin and ANBU member, bringing down criminals left right and centre. Sasuke was wasting his time if he thought he was doing anything honourable in the name of his clan, in fact, he would go so far as to say he was disgracing it.

Yet, he couldn't help but feel a sense of suppressed pride for his otouto. After all, he did surpass almost every ninja his age, and Itachi knew he had made the common mistake of assuming that everybody could be as exceptional as himself.

He watched Sasuke glance around nervously as he entered the house, and decided to give him a few minutes before he went in there to confront him. Springing agilely to the ground, he walked towards the back entrance of the house slowly, trying to clear his mind. It would do him no good to speak to Sasuke so distracted. 

Phew, he managed to get into the kitchen without bumping into Itachi. Sasuke limped towards a bowl of fruit on the counter, grabbing an apple before leaning against it and biting into the apple hungrily. He realised he hadn't had a thing to eat since late the night before, as he and Naruto had been up all night and morning making preparations for the prank.

Thinking about the results made him wince in pain as his mind was brought back to the intense ache in his backside. Even leaning against the counter was almost unbearable, let alone sitting down! He took another bite and stood up to get a glass of water. He'd take it upstairs and stay hidden in his room for a while. Maybe Itachi would assume he was asleep and he'd get a few hours of rest before he found him.

Leaning over the sink with the tap running, he suddenly felt a hand grab his collar, the shock making him splutter and spit the water out, dropping the glass into the sink. The same hand he felt push him down so that he was leaning over the sideboard. The breath he felt whisper past his right ear told him Itachi was standing right behind him. The tone of voice when he spoke informed him that he was _extremely_ pissed off.

"Sasuke, would you care to explain what the _hell _inspired you to perform your latest act of stupidity?"

Sasuke felt a wave of anger roll through him like wildfire. He had not been particularly convinced by Kakashi's claims about what Itachi 'really thought'. He would not stand for another moment of this fucking intimidation. He was going to fucking tell his brother exactly what he fucking thought of him.

"I think you have some fucking explaining to do _first_, Nii-san." Sasuke said loudly and clearly with as much arrogance as he could force into that one sentence. There was a moment of silence when Itachi appeared to be surprised, when his hand suddenly came down on Sasuke's butt hard, swatting him ten or so times. At the first smack Sasuke gasped and by the third he was crying out, Itachi's hand feeling like red-hot iron on his already sore and flaming cheeks.

"You do not talk to me that way Sasuke." Itachi pulled him up by the collar and turned him around to face him, a look of cold annoyance on his face.  
>"I will be the one asking questions. Now, whe-" He was cut short as his little brother wrenched himself from his grip and took a step back, his face darkened and distressed, a furious scowl across his face.<p>

"NO! I deserve some answers too! You never talk _to_ me Itachi, you talk _at_ me! You tell me what to do, and you ask me questions just to find some place I've made a mistake. Why do you treat me like such a burden to you? Am I that much of a waste of space?" As he finished shouting he felt a sob build in his throat, asking for release, but he swallowed it down and continued to glare at his brother, whose face remained expressionless throughout his outburst. 

The tense silence that followed was a battle of glares for the two Uchihas, both trying to incinerate the other with their gaze.

Finally, after minutes that felt like hours, Itachi broke through the deafening lack of noise, his voice calm but laced with authority and danger.

"We can discuss your teenage problems and self-centred worries when the outstanding issue is dealt with, dear otouto. Until then, get your sorry ass over here and answer me. If you fail to be obedient I will not hesitate to tan your hide with my belt so hard, you won't sit for a month." With that he moved over to the kitchen table and pulled out a chair, placing it in the centre of the room, and motioned with his finger as he always did, that Sasuke should come and stand before him.

Sasuke was at a loss as to what to do. Should he stick with his plan and refuse to cooperate to force Itachi to explain himself, or should he obey for now and ask questions later? Itachi did say that they would discuss his problems once the current 'problem' was over...  
>As much as he hated to admit it, Sasuke was damn scared of his brother's belt, and pride and a promise to himself were just sacrifices he was willing to make if he could avoid that leather on his already abused backside.<p>

So it was with a reluctant but submissive gait that Sasuke went to stand before his brother, his onyx eyes burning tracks in the floor. The other set of eyes in the room stared intently at their sibling's actions, able to read his internal struggle exactly, as perceptive as he was. It was only an Uchiha that could make another lose their usual composure.

"Now, if you'd be so kind as to answer my previous question..." Itachi crossed his arms across his chest and leaned back in his chair, his intense gaze on his brother not weakening.

"Na- Naruto and I had a bet... We were seeing who could pull off the best prank in the village..." Sasuke trailed off as his brother raised one eyebrow.

"Do go on Sasuke, I'm intrigued."

"But that's it, what happened is obvious isn't it?" Sasuke shouted in frustration, pointing accusingly. "You were _there,_ for the love of God! Why do you-" The teen stopped mid-sentence as his brother's hand shot to the buckle of his belt, beginning to slide it out.

"n-NO!" Sasuke exclaimed. " I-I mean nii-san, please! I-I'm sorry for speaking to you that way, just please! Please don't use your belt!" He stumbled back and looked worriedly at Itachi's face, which remained unreadable.

Lifting his hands from his belt, Itachi crossed his arms and looked at Sasuke right in the eyes, onyx meeting onyx.

"I will allow you to continue otouto, but believe me when I say this is your final warning." He told him calmly.  
>Sasuke felt a tiny wave of relief, but kept it hidden. Instead he bowed slightly, replying "Y-yes sir, as I said, I was wrong."<p>

Taking a step back towards his brother, he continued once again.  
>"Naruto's idea was first; we painted the Hokage monument during the night but we got caught, as you know..." He glanced upwards and saw his thoroughly unimpressed face, complete with raised eyebrow. Oops.<p>

"Well, I sort of forgot about the whole thing for a week or so, and then I came up with an idea... I studied the plumbing of the Hokage building, and realised the majority of the pipes crossed in one room, directly adjoining the meeting room. I was going to paper bomb the largest of the pipes with you and the other senseis and jounin next door, and was hoping you'd all get soaked while we made our escape. But stupid fuc- Uh, the dobe messed up and we ended up stuck in there while the explosion happened. And, uh, again you saw what happened after that..." He trailed off nervously, hoping that would be considered a full enough answer.

Itachi thoughtfully observed his fidgeting sibling. Just what was he to do? Was all of this a cry for attention in some way, or was he really so immature he would feel it necessary to indulge in some idiotic prank contest just to satisfy his competitive nature.  
>It was at times like this Itachi felt the loss of his parents them most. From the moment they were murdered by enemy ninja eight years ago, it had been Itachi's responsibility to ensure the proper upbringing of Sasuke, but it became more and more of a struggle. He liked to think he knew his brother very well, and did in fact find his actions somewhat predictable, but he failed to comprehend his reasons for doing so in the majority of cases. His father would have known exactly what to do should he or Sasuke begin to step way out of line.<p>

Had he failed as a guardian? This was a sobering though, and Itachi shuddered internally at the realisation that he may have been responsible for bringing up a resentful and rebelling ninja, one who would pose a threat to their village. No, he was getting ahead of himself, he was sure Sasuke must just be going through a teenage phase of rebellion.

Itachi shifted in his seat, leaning forwards ever so slightly, but finally breaking the silent tension between them that Sasuke had been desperate to end.

"So Sasuke, since you have finally decided to be obedient and recount the week's events to me, tell me now what occurred after I...departed earlier."  
>Both boys winced internally at the reminder of what happened last time they had seen eachother, Itachi with annoyance and Sasuke with pain.<br>"You did not return home for over an hour."

"No, Kakashi, Naruto and I went to the training grounds."

"To train? For such a short time, and after such a significant incident?" He yet again made Sasuke shiver with his signature eyebrow-raise.

It was then that Sasuke realised he had to rethink how he was to deal with the situation, while still getting his well deserved answers from Itachi. He was going to tell the truth.. Yes, surely that could not result in a worse situation. And if Itachi was going to (please gods, be merciful)...punish him... then he would be the most respectful and obedient teenager his brother had ever seen... That HAD to be enough to show him that the issues he wanted to discuss weren't just 'self-centred' and immature. And if he still wouldn't talk TO him... Sasuke didn't know if he could deal with it anymore.

"No nii-san, we didn't train... Sensei punished Naruto and I for the prank we pulled..."

"Hn. I thought as much. Although it shames me once again to be reminded that others have to be a witness to your stupidity and arrogance."

Damn it, the urge to hit his brother had never been stronger. But not only would Sasuke never dare to act out like _that_ against Itachi, he maintained his composure, promising himself the reward of talking to Itachi at the end.

"I'm sorry Itachi, for shaming you." He replied with as much authenticity as he could muster.

"Hn, you will be. Little brother, I do not care whether or not your sensei has punished you already, you will now receive one from me as a reminder that neither of us are prepared to see this behaviour as acceptable."

With that he grabbed Sasuke by the wrist and pulled him forcefully over his awaiting knees, although the force was not necessary due to his the stoic teen's lack of resistance.  
>When he was hanging in the vulnerable but familiar position, stomach down on his brother's lap and ass high in the air, Itachi placed one hand on the small of his brother's back, and the other he used to swiftly pull down the shorts and boxers, exposing a bright red and sore looking backside. He ignored the hiss of pain and suppressed whimper that accompanied the action, as the material scraped his sensitive skin. <p>

Securing his hand around Sasuke's waist, Itachi raised his hand high for the first swat, bringing it down mercilessly. As it hit the already aggravated skin, Sasuke drew in a ragged gasp of pain, the deep stinging sensation he had felt less than an hour before now renewed with a desperate intensity. As his brother's hand smacked down a second and third time with just as much force, he realised that he would be unable to take this punishment in silence, but resolved to react as little as possible. It wouldn't help his plight at all if Itachi was aggravated by a show of weakness.

However, it was taking all his strength to hold still as his spanking continued. Countless times the older boy's palm thundered down, all over his backside, leaving no place unattended. His legs were itching to kick and squirm, and he clutched the legs of the chair in order to prevent his hands from flying back in defence.

Meanwhile, Itachi was putting all his strength behind the smouldering spanks he delivered to his little brother's butt. Kakashi had managed to turn it a significantly red colour, as he had expected, but he really felt it important to reinforce that the series of events in the past weeks were simply unacceptable, hence his efforts to smack his brother all the harder.

He could now discern Sasuke's muffled sobbing as his bit his lip in an effort to keep quiet, over the loud noise of skin hitting skin. He moved the spanking along by lifting his right leg slightly, tipping the other boy's body in order to give him better access to the tops of his thighs.

As the pain shifted slightly to the top of his legs, Sasuke let out a moan of agony, and continuously clenched and unclenched his toes, still fighting desperately not to kick out. He felt as though Itachi must have burned all of the skin off his butt, and he was not just hitting raw muscle. In fact, he would probably spank him right down to the bone if he could.

After what seemed like hours, as always, Itachi's blows finally let up, and Sasuke took in a shaky breath as the pain blossomed all over his cheeks, tears still streaming down his face. As expected, he lay limp over Itachi's lap until his brother tapped him lightly on the buttocks to signal he could get up.

Slowly and painfully, Sasuke climbed to his feet, his legs feeling somewhat like jelly as he stood straight before his brother, awaiting instruction. He was proud of himself for having taken the punishment as stoically as he could, and was now looking forward to the promised reward of talking properly to his brother.

"Now Sasuke, I know I said I would discuss your little 'issues' with you..."

The youngest Uchiha's head shot up, half out of worry, half in anticipation.

"But I have decided you will benefit from an hour in that corner there, hands against the wall as always. You can organise your...questions... in your mind, and contemplate the warning that your punishment represents."  
>At this, he placed a finger under his brother's chin and lifted it so that their eyes met.<p>

"Behaviour like this will not be tolerated again, or else I will have to consider other arrangements for your future, whether that be good news for you or not."

He swiftly turned his otouto around by the shoulder and pushed him towards the corner, where he obediently shuffled over and placed his hands against the wall, before he strode out of the room, confident Sasuke would obey him.

Although irritated at being in this humiliating position again, Sasuke forced himself to remain calm, and used the time as Itachi suggested; to work out how he would get the answers he wanted.

The hour passed surprisingly quickly, and before long Itachi re-entered the room, walking straight over to his younger brother and tapping him on the shoulder. He spun around, and the elder motioned with his finger that Sasuke should follow him, before leaving the room once again.

Sasuke bent down quickly in order to pull up his shorts, despite the skin of his butt protesting, and sprinted out of the room after his brother. The two ended up in Itachi's study once again, and as the owner of the desk sat down behind it, the other stood respectfully in front of it, his hands clasped together.

"Before you begin little brother, understand that if you begin babbling like an idiotic child I will simply take my leave, I have far more important things to do." Itachi's warning was accompanied by his signature raised eyebrow, his dark eyes full of promise. "Although, as long as they are reasonable, I will answer all of your questions honestly."

Feeling that he was composed enough, Sasuke slowly took a deep breath and plunged into the conversation that he knew would leave him either satisfied or devastated. He hoped it was the former. 

"Nii-san, I want to start by apologising for partaking in those pranks... I know they were stupid and irresponsible, and I-... Yeah."

He cleared his throat nervously, avoiding Itachi's eyes in case he lost his nerve.

"Firstly...Do you regret looking after me after mother and father died?"

His voice almost cracked as he mentioned his parent's death. Itachi's face was blank as he contemplated the question.

"No. I have never regretted my decision as such, despite the protests of others. I know that father would most certainly have wanted you to continue living here in the compound and be raised with Uchiha rules and guidelines. As well as this, I felt I was helping you excel beyond your classmates capabilities and helping you develop into an excellent ninja."

Sasuke's chest swelled a little with pride at this 'almost-praise', rarely uttered from the mouth of his older brother.

"However, I must admit that over the past year or so, I have doubted my ability to keep you on track. You have become wildly disobedient, distracted and slowed in your progress."

Swallowing slowly at his explicit choice of words, Sasuke thought it best to move on to the next question.

"Itachi-nii, why is it you act like I can never be good enough for you? You push me and punish me and push me further, and I feel like all my attempts to please you are in vain. Am I a-" Sasuke choked over the next word. "A failure, to you?"

He was surprised when Itachi sighed deeply, and placed his fingers on his temples, eyes closed. He was visibly distressed.

"Otouto, is it SO difficult for you to comprehend that it is never acceptable for an Uchiha to simply _give up_. What sense does it make to ever stop striving to achieve more, just to comfortably sink into that level until you become lazy and worthless."

He banged his fist on the table, making his brother jump back in shock.

"I push you because that is the only way you will continue to excel in your studies and you progress as a shinobi. I punish you when you insult my attempts to help you. If I were to congratulate you on every little thing you did you would stop aiming to improve, and instead be satisfied with a pat on the back. You are an Uchiha, therefore whether you want it or not, you will not disgrace the clan by becoming a mediocre, pathetic excuse for a shinobi, that is not our way. You should be grateful, not resentful. Hopefully that answers all your questions." He spat, eyes cold in annoyance.

He made to rise from the table, but Sasuke exclaimed in panic.

"WAIT! Nii-san, I- I have another question, please!"

He waited worriedly while Itachi stared at him, as though slowly observing his soul.

"Very well." He finally said. "Proceed, but quickly."

The younger brother let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you brother. Please...Could you tell me honestly...Do you.." He trailed off into an illegible mumble.

"What did I tell you about babbling, boy?" Itachi stood with a flash of anger in his eye.

"Itachi... Do you love me?"

He froze at the words of his little brother. Had he really been so harsh towards his otouto that he had begun to doubt that they even had a bond? No, it couldn't be.

"If this is a stupid cry for attention Sasuke, I swear I will take my belt to your behind right now." He answered coldly.

Sasuke gulped at his words, but pushed on assuredly.

"No really brother, I need to know... I mean, Kakashi told me that... And I was just wondering... If you could just-"  
>Itachi raised a hand to cut him off.<br>"You're mumbling Sasuke."

He sighed deeply. At his little brother's desperate sincerity, his expression melted a little, a significant change for one as blank-faced as him.

"Sasuke. Do you really believe I would spend so much time with you if I did not? Do you think I would care what it was you did with your life if I did not? Little brother, I will always be your brother whether you like it or not. I am here to support you, I feed you and advise you, and I will do whatever else is necessary, and more, to fulfil my duties as a brother. Yes, of course I- OOOF."

Itachi was winded with the speed at which Sasuke threw himself round his waist, clutching him in a tight hug. He was still in shock for a moment or two, before carefully placing one hand on the raven hair and the other on his back, gently pulling the boy into his chest.  
>They had not embraced like this since before their parents passed, and Itachi felt a wave of nostalgia as he realised how much they had both changed. In fact, Sasuke's face was buried more in his neck than his chest.<br>He also realised, with a slight twinge in his heart that the boy was in fact weeping silently into his high-necked shirt, leaving a gradually-spreading dampness.  
>It reminded him painfully of all the tears Sasuke had shed when he was younger and Itachi was training him. The tears that Itachi failed to wipe away, or even notice on occasion; he believed them to be signs of weakness and unnecessary emotion.<br>And the tears that poured whenever he punished Sasuke, the fluid that represented the guilt and remorse for having misbehaved, not a sign that he needed comfort or praise.  
>This was different however. These tears were unnecessary, yes, but they were tears of utter relief and years of built up worry. These tears were... Somewhat tolerable.<p>

Another minute passed before the two separated, with Sasuke frantically trying to swipe the tears from his eyes. Itachi gave him a rare and precious half-smile, and with two fingers, flicked his sibling's forehead. Sasuke frowned and rubbed the spot, but his frown had little conviction.

"I suggest you do some work before we eat tonight. Off you go." He pushed the younger teen in the direction of the door. Just as he reached it, he remembered something he had wanted to say.

"Sasuke?"

He turned at the sound of his name.

"I will remind you now that this discussion does in no way alter my treatment of you. It is only your behavior that must change." 

Sasuke's face dropped, and he opened his mouth the protest, but his brother continued.  
>"You know very well it has been atrocious of late, and I think you'll agree I have never punished you without valid reason?" <p>

Sasuke hesitated, but then nodded reluctantly. 

"Good, so we understand eachother. At least you now comprehend my reasons for doing these things, therefore will be more cooperative. Now be gone."  
>With a flick of his fingers he motioned for him to leave.<p>

Sasuke left his brother's study with a reassured mind. However, the assurance that he wouldn't let up on the workload of punishments left a slightly bitter aftertaste to his satisfaction. Hn, fucking Itachi, trust him to ruin a good moment when you get one.

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, but please tell me in the form of a review whether you want me to continue. I really don't want to ruin my first story by attempting to continue with very little inspiration for further events!  
>RAWR xox<strong> 


	9. UPDATE: Where do you want it to go?

**Hello readers! This is just a little update for you all.  
>The response so far has been 'Yes, continue the story', and I've decided I have a couple of ideas as to where the plot could go. However, I'm rather indecisive about them, so I would really appreciate a clue as to what you want! After all, I'm writing for you! If you could leave some ideas in the reviews, anonymous or not, it would be awesome, as I can get back to writing sooner RAWR (:<br>On another note, I have posted the first chapter of my new story, but am debating whether or not to include spanking in it or not, because I can see where I would fit it in. However, if it's not wanted then of course, I'll just carry on normally! RAWR**

**Finally, if Veraison is reading this, could he/she please give me a way to contact her, as I would love to get some advice from them as they suggested, but have no means of contact!**

**X's and O's, WhiteFang**


	10. The Big Opportunity

**Hullo people! Here's another chapter for you, and the beginning of a new plot-line of sorts. It's going to be very exciting, so make sure you're here for the ride! Don't forget to review, it makes me write faster!  
>And this chapter, along with the arc it is part of, is dedicated to my sort-of-beta and new found friend Veraison! She's been awesome of late, and helped me plan a route for this story.<br>Enjoy, RAWR xox**

"Evenin' bastard!"

Naruto greeted his teammate cheerily as he strode into the clearing, giving him an overly-enthusiastic wave.  
>Sasuke narrowed his eyes in suspicion as he observed the blonde approaching the tree he leaned against. The dobe was more of a morning person, therefore he should have no reason to be so energetic seeing as it was around 4 O'clock. Plus his ass should still be burning from the spanking he got yesterday. Sasuke's sure as hell was.<p>

"So, I was just thinking this morning" Naruto began, as he reached the raven's side and leaned against the trunk, "we never really settled who won our little prank-off!"

"Hn." Sasuke grunted. Did it really matter? He wasn't planning anything of the sort any time soon, not after the response they'd got.

"I really _do not_ care." He replied, scowling at the other teen to emphasise his words.

"Ha! Like I believe that. You've always been as competitive as me!" Naruto accused.  
>"And anyway, you're just saying that because you don't want to admit that I WON."<p>

Sasuke slowly turned to the grinning ninja.  
>"What did you say, idiot?"<p>

"You heard me. I. Won. The. Bet." He repeated slowly, stressing every word, with a grin still plastered to his face.

"And what the fuck would make you say that? How in hell's name could your plan POSSIBLY be compared to the planning and complexity of mine?" Sasuke snarled, annoyed that he was even having this conversation.

"I think you're forgetting something, teme. My prank came off perfectly, while your stupid lil' plan failed. Unless you'd call flailing around like a noodle in a bowl of ramen 'a success'?"

Sasuke cringed inwardly at his words. Dammit, he was probably right. If he was in Naruto's place he'd claim he had won too. Not that he'd ever admit it of course. Still, he forced himself not to retort, and pushed himself away from the tree to begin some warm-up exercises.

He heard Naruto laugh and call out 'Loser!' but he just ignored it, instead trying to work out a way to stretch his quadriceps without inducing a searing pain across his backside.  
>This continued for a few minutes, even after Sakura arrived and began chatting animatedly to Naruto.<p>

Finally, with a puff of smoke, their leader arrived just 15 minutes late, with his ever-present novel clasped in front of his face.

"Greetings young ones. I apologise for my lateness. I accidentally squeezed out too much toothpaste and spent a while trying to get it back into the tube."

Sasuke rolled his eyes while the other too groaned at his pathetic excuse.

"On the other hand, I do have important news. A large group of unidentified ninja are making their way through the Land of Fire at a rapid pace, and several teams are being assigned to incapacitate them before they reach The Leaf, the four of us included."

At this news, all three teens spun towards him with rapt expressions. It had been weeks since they had anything more than a B-rank mission, and the prospect of an important one was very appealing.

Kakashi smirked at their sudden alertness.

"Calm down kiddies, I have a little more to tell you before we can get down to it. The group is about fifty strong, so we'll have a mixture of 20 jounin and chunnin surround them, as well as you guys. Although to get the abilities evenly spread, I believe Sasuke and Naruto will be travelling and working with a team headed by Asuma. Sakura's medical ninjutsu will be needed over in my platoon."

All three of his students nodded sharply as he spoke, and Kakashi thought he shared a little of the excitement they did. It would be good to see them apply their most recent training to a mission.

"Well that's set then. We have four hours before we move out, so I want to run the two of you through that new attack manoeuvre for taking out a retreating enemy." He pointed at the two boys as he spoke, and then glanced towards Sakura.

"Sakura, Lady Tsunade wants to see you now. She's in the medical facility."

"Yes sensei, I'll go right there." Her hair flew as she nodded sharply and sprinted off towards the village.

Kakashi clapped his gloved-hands together and looked down at his two students.

"Let's get to work, shall we? Sasuke, take your place by that tree. Naruto, about five metres to his right. I'll act as the retreating ninja, while the two of you apply the technique."

And with that, the training began intensely, not letting up for at least three hours, when the silver-haired demon finally allowed them a two minute break.

The two teens fell to the ground on the signal, panting and dripping with sweat, although careful to avoid landing directly on their butts.

"Phew!" Naruto exclaimed. "I haven't been this exhausted since we scrubbed the Hokage monument clean last week! Plus my ass is absolutely killing me. Why'd we have to get spanked right before a big mission?..." He grumbled, crossing his arms.

Sasuke smirked internally. Naruto had nothing to complain about if this was the hardest he'd worked in a week. Itachi had been slaughtering him in training after the graffiti stunt, and he doubted he'd ever recover.

"Hn." was his reply. Naruto took it as a noise of agreement.

"But it's pretty cool to be working with Asuma again. I haven't seen him around recently, so I guess he's been following these enemy guys." The blonde laid his head back against the ground, and the raven followed suit, tucking his discarded shirt behind his head as padding.

"He's a good commander. He'll get the job done." Sasuke agreed. "But he's tough, so you'd better keep in line."

"Ha! Of course I will!" Naruto scoffed. "I, Naruto Uzumaki, am an expert on getting a mission done efficiently and quickly."

Rolling his eyes, the Uchiha pushed himself off from the ground and held his hand out to his friend.

"Come on dobe, we don't have long."

Grinning, Naruto accepted the hand and the two of them jogged towards Kakashi to continue the session.

By the time they finished, it was nearing eight o'clock, so Kakashi instructed them to gather provisions for the night and meet at the gates to the village on the hour.

Sasuke sprinted back to the compound, jumping over the gates in his haste and slamming the door behind him as he entered the house.

"Sasuke Uchiha, don't you dare slam any doors in this house."

Oops. Sasuke flinched at the stern tone of his older brother's voice emerging from his study.

"Sorry Aniki, I'm assigned to that defensive mission tonight, I need to be at the gates by eight."

Itachi's face appeared at the doorway, observing his little brother's sweaty and dishevelled state.

"Very well, but that's no excuse. You'd better clean up and be gone soon. Remember to use the top of your legs when launching a kick as we've been working on, and pay close attention to the whereabouts of your teammates. Surrounding so many enemies, you don't want to attack a comrade in the process, so memorise their locations as periodic intervals. Do not disappoint me Sasuke."

"Yes Itachi." Sasuke looked at his brother, and with a nod of dismissal, he turned and raced up the stairs to pack. He mused as he got his things together. Itachi hadn't wished him luck as such, but it was the closest he'd get. Besides that, he, an Uchiha, did not need _luck_ anyway. He'd just be sure to make Itachi proud.

Ten minutes later, Sasuke was jogging up to the group of ninja gathering by the entrance to the village. Shifting the small pack on his back, he glanced around quickly for the blob of orange representing Naruto.  
>No sign of him. With an irritated huff, he went to report to Asuma, and hoped that the dobe wouldn't be stupid enough to turn up late to the first vital mission they'd had in ages.<p>

Kakashi glanced at Asuma, then at his watch. Ten past eight. Still no sign of Naruto. The stupid boy really needed a sense of timekeeping, and that was coming from him. Giving a reluctant nod to the co-captain of the mission, he gave a signal for the teams to move out.

Sasuke caught the signal, and cursed internally. Fuck, why did Naruto have to go and make Kakashi-sensei and their team look bad. Yeah, Kakashi was late, but he was always there when it really mattered, and people respected him for it. Naruto did not have that luxury.

The ninjas at the head of the group had already taken off into the trees, and were leaping from branch to branch with determined speed, as the sun began to set behind the tree-tops.

Just as Sasuke was about to spring up the trunk, he heard a familiar voice from behind him.

"HEY! WAIT UP GUYS, I'M HERE!"

Congratulations Naruto, you've succeeded in making yourself look like an even bigger idiot.  
>The young Uchiha turned to see a frantic blonde racing out from between the fast-closing gates of the village, waving desperately.<p>

Asuma and Kakashi had heard his voice and turned too, with matching expressions of annoyance and frustration on their faces. The silver-haired jounin sprung to the ground and stormed towards the approaching teenager, whose grin fell away as he saw how angry his sensei was.

As Kakashi reached the boy, he grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up sharply so he could put his lips to the tanned ear, ignoring the yelp of shock.

"Naruto, these ninja are still bitter about the little stunt you pulled yesterday, and you are NOT helping your situation by turning up late to a rendezvous of an important mission." He hissed furiously into the reddening ear.

"B-b-ut sensei-" Naruto began, his face slowly reddening, but he was cut off as Kakashi released his collar and pointed a finger threateningly in his face.

"Really, an academy student would show better discipline than you. You'd better make some major adjustments by the time we reach camp, or I'll be making them for you."

With that he quickly followed the fast-disappearing group into the forest, and after a brief pause to collect himself, Naruto soon followed, still blushing furiously and dreading the looks he'd get when they stopped and everyone realised who it was that held them up.

They travelled for about two hours in formation, with Kakashi's team of ten heading the group and Asuma's taking the back. After recovering from his little 'welcome' Naruto eventually persuaded Sasuke to give him a run-down of the plan of attack.

"Hn. You're such a dobe. Basically, we split in a few miles and make camp where we are, a stretch of forest between the two. The group seems to be heading straight ahead according to spies set up several miles away, so they should run straight between the camps later tonight. The clearings providing the perfect opportunity for them to rest, if they follow the same patterns they have for the last couple of days. Then in the morning, as they make ready to move out, we attack." Sasuke finished simply, but pissed that he'd been the one who had to explain it all to the knucklehead.

"Awesome!" The blonde grinned, excitement lighting up behind his bright-blue eyes. "I can't wait to kick some ass with my new rasengan alterations!"

Sasuke was silent, but he too felt the adrenaline begin to excite his senses, and was secretly eager to reach their location so that he could feel the mission had really begun.

It was approaching eleven when Asuma's team reached the small, sheltered clearing for their camp, dropping out of the trees and instantly beginning to make a small fire in order to heat up some provisions.  
>Before they'd returned to the ground, Naruto had observed the trail of larger, emptier clearings between the trees that had been identified as likely stopping points for the approaching group. They were less than a quarter-mile away, and Asuma had stressed the importance of not drawing unnecessary attention to themselves, so as not to make their presence suspicious enough to investigate.<p>

They had been sitting round the fire conversing quietly for little under half an hour when a jounin suddenly raised a hand, signalling everyone to be silent. He raised his head and sniffed, closing his eyes in order to isolate his sense of smell. A specialist tracker, Sasuke observed.

"They've reached the predicted destination, and are now cooking a meal, fish I believe. Certainly enough for 50 or 60 people, so their numbers have not dropped." The sharp-sensed ninja reported, and as Naruto saw Asuma's face visibly relax, he knew that this news was not bad.

The bearded ninja lit up a cigarette and placed it in his mouth, before slowly releasing a long cloud of smoke before he spoke.

"It seems everything is occurring as predicted, so I think we have approximately six hours before we make our move. Yamashiro, Fuki and I will take first watch. The rest of you get some sleep."

With low murmurs and a brief period of bustling about, the remaining seven ninja settled down on mats around the fire, and within minutes most had dropped off to sleep with practiced ease. On long missions with little sleep, you learnt to take as much as you can, when you can.

Only one leaf nin seemed still restless. Naruto Uzumaki was, of course, unable to settle down.


	11. The Big Mistake

**I'm awfully sorry this has taken so long, I had the most horrific writers bloack, and avoided writing this chapter/scene for the longest time. I'm so ashamed )': Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this long-awaited update, and that you're all having a good summer. Once again, this is dedicated towards Veraison, who's aid and persistent reminders I am indebted for.  
>WhiteFang<br>RAWR**

Cracking his eyes open for the tenth time since he'd laid down, Naruto rolled onto his side on the thin padded mat beneath him. Damn, he could never get comfy on these things, not when he could feel the uneven forest floor right underneath. Sighing inaudibly, he gazed into the dying embers of the campfire, letting the sparks dance across his blurry eyesight.

In the corner of his vision he saw Fuki, the tracking-specialist, enter the camp from between two trees, and walk briskly up to the two other men who were seated on logs.

"Sir, the other team is in place, and they've made an interesting revelation. The group's purpose has been identified, as they've noticed two hostages tied up in one of the tents. A female and male, both between 10 and 12 years old. "

Naruto stifled a gasp in shock at the news. They had kids as hostages? What kind of people were these punks? He strained his hearing in order to catch the quiet conversation that followed between the men.

"What do you propose we do with this information Asuma?" questioned Yamashiro, leaning in.

Asuma took another drag of his cigarette before replying.

"It changes nothing. Although we may suspect the ninjas to be hostile, the hostages may be even more so. When we take out the others, we'll interrogate them as to why they were captured. In the morning I'll give orders not to kill, but not to release under any circumstance."

The blonde's eyes narrowed from the widened shock they had been in. Asuma-sensei was just going to leave the kids with these enemies? Who knows how they could be suffering?

Well... if nobody else was going to rescue them, it would have to be down to him. Sasuke-teme would probably tell him to obey, shut up and sit down. It was just down to picking the right moment to move...

* * *

><p>The opportunity arose several minutes later. Naruto had been able to silently gather a few weapons from the pack beside him without anybody realising he was awake. He heard Asuma say he needed to 'relieve himself', and while the other two observed Asuma strolling off to one side, he slid from beneath his blanket and leapt into the cover of the trees.<p>

Without even looking back, he sprinted in the direction of the enemy camp. It was up to him now to save those kids, for isn't the purpose of a ninja to protect those more vulnerable? He, Naruto Uzumaki, would not leave the children in the hands of those barbarians.

Fuki narrowed his eyes, sniffing the air carefully. There was a shift in the air. Someone, other than Asuma, had moved, and quickly. He glanced around camp, and realised with a start that the Uzumaki boy's mat was empty.

"Hey, Yamashiro!" He hissed. "Uzumaki is gone, did you see him?"

"Calm down Fuki, he probably just had to piss like Asuma." The other man chuckled. Fuki had an incredible skill set, yes, but he sure was paranoid.

Meanwhile, Fuki was still suspicious. "I don't know man, I don't trust that kid. Too many rumours, and of course his _stupid_ ass pranks." He growled. He'd been one of the ninja who got soaked by the latest escapade of his.

"Cool it dude. Didn't you pull a few pranks when you were a kid? You don't need to hold that against him." The other reasoned, frowning slightly. Fuki just grunted in response, but sat back down on his log.

On the edge of the enemy camp, perched in the branches of a large oak tree, Naruto crept slowly along the wide bough. Several large, hastily assembled tents stood on one side of the clearing, and on the other was a large campfire, surrounded by rocks.

In the flickering glow from the flame, Naruto could see there were five figures seated around it. Two seemed to be thick-set and burly, with broad shoulders that cast menacing shadows on the ground. They did not look like people he wanted to deal with.

The other three appeared to be less bulky, but he could distinguish their sharp faces and toned limbs from his vantage point. One even seemed to be covered head-to-toe with weapons belts, as the light glinted off the dangerous metals.

Sweeping his gaze over to the tents, Naruto realised, with a leap of excitement, that none of the tents were guarded, at least from the outside. This was perfect! Those idiot ninja had no idea how stupid they were, leaving prisoners unattended. No leaf ninja would make such a rookie mistake.

His azure eyes swept the scene one more time, before he slowly inched backwards on the branch, being careful not to rustle the leaves above him.

As he silently clambered down the trunk, he made it to the final branch before he was suddenly snatched out of the tree, a hand clamped tightly over his mouth.

Eyes widening in panic, he struggled desperately, flailing his arms and legs in an attempt to get free. The enemy ninja had captured him! Now he was going to die without having saved those kids, or become Hokage, or done anything he-

"You can forget your little plan RIGHT NOW Naruto."

He froze. The cold, furious growl of Asuma sensei in his ear, barely audible but enough to shake him to the core. As he stopped fighting, he was dropped to the ground and his mouth was released, although he had to fight the urge to take a loud gasp of air at the freedom.

As soon as his feet hit solid earth, the well-built man grabbed him roughly by the upper arm, and used the leverage to yank Naruto into the forest, back towards camp. He couldn't believe that someone who managed to graduate from the Academy would try to pull a stunt _this stupid! _It was childish and irresponsible to pull pranks back at the village, but to directly disobey orders and risk the lives of the team? That just brought immature to a whole new level. Asuma was _fuming._

Meanwhile, Naruto was allowing himself to be pulled along jerkily by the older man, if only to avoid aggravating him further. There was no way he'd be able to fight Asuma off and save the kids without attracting attention, so he had no choice but to follow.

Although from the glances up at Asuma's enraged face, he was starting to feel he'd be better off facing the enemy ninja. He had never seen the usually laid-back guy look so worked up before. Crap.

Reaching the camp after a short but scary trek through the trees, Asuma strode with Naruto over to where Fuki and Yamashiro were waiting by the fire. Fuki looked furious and mildly disgusted, while Yamashiro appeared more amused by the situation.

"So what was the little punk up to?" Sneered the tracking-nin, leaning in towards the blonde's face.

"Yes, why don't you _enlighten_ us all Naruto?" Asuma growled, even though he already had a pretty good idea what the blonde knucklehead had been attempting.

"W-well..." Naruto began, glaring down at his feet to avoid the gaze of the man who still held him tightly. "You're just leaving those kids to the mercy of those ninja. I just thought if I could get them out of there-"

Obviously no further explanation was needed. He was cut off with a yelp as Asuma yanked him off yet again, this time swiftly across the camp and into the trees on the other side. Dark, menacing trees that did not look at all inviting to Naruto.

Once the pair had disappeared into the foliage, Yamashiro began to chuckle quietly. Fuki looked at him in confusion. What was amusing about _this_ situation?

"Hey, he could have disrupted the entire operation!" He reminded him in outrage.

"Oh come on, you don't find the kid's antics even a little funny?" He continued to laugh lightly. "Nothing happened, plus he's getting what's coming to him in a minute, you'll hear it."

Fuki stared blankly. Yamashiro raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"You hadn't guessed? Asuma just pulled him off to tan his hide good and hard!"

Although surprised, Fuki couldn't help but smirk in satisfaction at this information. An appropriate punishment indeed for a kid who could barely act his age. He sank back onto his log again and resumed his twirling of a kunai knife. At least the filthy demon would feel a little of his pain.

* * *

><p>As Asuma and Naruto had entered the camp, Sasuke's eyes shot open. He'd heard Naruto leave, but it wasn't until he heard Naruto's confession that he was able to comprehend what he'd gone to do. Seeing the idiot manhandled by Asuma into the forest to get what he assumed would be a spanking, he clenched his fists in frustration.<p>

The dobe _always_ managed to make a fool of himself, and in turn making Sasuke and Kakashi look like fools for putting up with him. There had been a lot of moments over their friendship that Sasuke had wanted to punch Naruto, but it was moments like this that he wished he'd never been put in a team with the stupid blonde.

And now pretty much everybody in the squadron was pissed at the idiot for having held them up, _and_ risked their lives with his heroic little outing. Hn. Usuratonkachi.

* * *

><p>Naruto narrowly avoided tripping face-first into a tree as Asuma suddenly sat down on a large log, only saving himself by crashing into the man who still held him fast by the arm.<p>

"Ow.." He mumbled under his breath, rubbing the point of impact on his forehead.

Asuma gave him a grim smile. "I'm sure I'll be hearing a lot more of those in a second kid."

Without a moment's hesitation, the man's large hands slipped into Naruto's waistband and yanked down his pants and underwear in one go, before tipping the boy over his lap in the blink of an eye.

Naruto barely had time to gasp or move in protest of the action, and found his face hanging inches from the floor with his bare butt in the air before you could say 'ninja'. Well crap, wasn't this a familiar situation.

"Now I'm sure as hell not expecting you to stay silent, brat" Asuma warned him, his palm resting over the boys cheeks ready to begin. "But you're going to make an effort to keep quiet or you'll be having another shot at destroying this entire operation."

And with that, he lifted his hand high in the air and brought it down on Naruto's ass with as much force as he could muster. Satisfied that he didn't receive a yell or scream in response, he began smacking the tanned ass powerfully, switching from cheek to cheek with a strong and definite rhythm.

As the punishment began, Naruto was mentally kicking himself for having ended up in yet another situation like this. It was like everything he'd been taught about the values of a ninja was just disregarded when they were on a mission! 'Protect the young and vulnerable', sure, but just leave them to the mercy of enemies when they weren't worth your time. 'Act with stealth and subtlety when on a mission', but when he tried he ended up over someone's knees getting the life whacked out of him.

As he felt Asuma pick up the pace, each smack left no time in between for even a breath, so he just felt like his backside was being pounded completely flat. He gritted his teeth at the intensifying pain of the hits, utterly determined not to make a sound. Not just because he feared Asuma's wrath if he was noisy, but because he was concerned if he even opened his mouth, all that would emerge would be a stream of shrieks and yelps that would be sure to wake up their entire camp, and maybe even alert the enemy like Asuma had warned.

His hands, that were supporting his weight on the forest floor, itched to reach back and protect the reddening target his rear had become. Asuma's swats were harder and more powerful than either of his senseis, and his huge, calloused palms were creating a scorching furnace across both his cheeks as they smacked mercilessly.

Asuma could see in the dim glow from the campfire that the blonde's butt -which was already pinkened from someone's recent spanking- was now at least an even, bright red all over. He decided it was time to drive home the message, so he tipped the lithe body on his knees slightly, allowing better access to the underside of those crimson cheeks.

Lifting his arm high once again, he slapped the boy's sit-spots forcefully and swiftly, bringing his hand down over and over in those same two spots. His reply was a low, pained whimper from the previously silent boy, and he was satisfied that his efforts were having a real impact.

Naruto was now finding it impossible to stay silent. He'd nearly bitten his lips off in attempt to keep his mouth shut, but as Asuma began the assault at the top of his thighs, he could no longer hold back.

With every few spanks he emitted a groan or whimper of some sort, his toes clenching and unclenching to keep his legs from kicking. Tears that had gathered in his eyes at the start but had settled unshed now trickled down his cheeks as a hot stream, glinting in the darkness of their surroundings.

It was so totally unfair! Why was it always him that ended up being punished, no matter how hard he tried to prove himself and do the right thing. Maybe for pranks it made sense, but there had been plenty of situations like this over the years, on missions _and _at the academy. He just wanted to get it right for once.

Suddenly, Asuma stopped. While gently shaking the sting out of his hand, he observed the knucklehead across his lap. A shock of blonde hair, followed by slightly shaking shoulders, and a deep read butt to complete the image. He'd never thought he'd ever end up actually spanking the kid. Sure, there had been plenty of times he' thought he could do with a good ass-warming, but Kakashi or Iruka had always been there to do the job instead.

Hooking his fingers into Naruto's waistband once again, he pulled up the orange trousers and black boxers, earning a low hiss as the teen was forced to raise his hips allowing the material to graze over his inflamed skin.

Giving Naruto's ass a final swat to signal he should get up, the little punk clambered off his knees gingerly, obviously making a conscious effort not to allow his hands to fly back and rub his backside. He stood in front of Asuma with his head bowed, blonde locks falling to conceal his eyes.

"I don't want any more of this shit on a mission Naruto. You're fifteen, and I don't want to have to be concerned about where you are all the time." He explained bluntly. When he got no response, he poked him in the arm.

"Hey, do I get an affirmative?"

Still no reply.

He sighed deeply. Obviously Naruto did not feel his punishment was earned, or else he'd be acting a little more repentant by now. He grasped Naruto's upper arm and watched as the teen's head shot up, blue eyes glimmering with fear of another spanking.

"Listen here Naruto." He began, wanting to get his point across quickly and effectively. "The hostages could be dangerous. Even more so than the ninjas. You were putting yourself and the team at risk with your little stunt, and we could have all died had it gone wrong. Even if you managed to sneak into the tent, what would happen then? You'd bring them back to camp expecting us to welcome them with open arms?"

Naruto bit his lip nervously and looked ashamed. Yeah, maybe he'd been a bit too keen to be a hero.

"Sorry Asuma.." He mumbled. "It won't happen again."

"It'd better not. I don't want to have to treat you like a child, but if you act like a brat..." He trailed off, knowing Naruto had the idea. "And as long as I don't get a repeat of this, I don't need to tell Kakashi. I don't want that worry distracting you from our goal."

"Thanks Captain." Naruto offered a grateful smile.

"Ha, well maybe your smarting butt will do the job of reminding you of this little lesson." He smirked, ruffling the unruly blonde hair.

The two started back towards camp, with Naruto discreetly rubbing his ass in an attempt to relieve the sting.

* * *

><p>As the muffled but distinctive cracks and groans of Naruto's punishment reached the camp, there was a mixed reaction. Sasuke, under his blanket, flushed with humiliation. He'd heard and seen Naruto get spanked plenty of times, but he knew it would be a tough job getting new comrades to respect you when they knew you and your teammate were still at risk of getting your asses beat.<p>

A few of the ninja in camp ignored the noise and went back to sleep, but some wore a smirk of satisfaction at the sound of a kid they disliked getting smacked. Others were chuckling to themselves, perhaps reminded of times when they themselves were on the receiving end of someone's open palm.

The young Uchiha gave a muffled groan into the mat beneath him. This was not a good situation to be in before an important mission, and he hoped with all his heart that it wouldn't detract from his performance tomorrow. He had a lot to prove to himself, his team, and his brother.


	12. UPDATE FROM AUTHOR: The Reassurance

Hello dearest readers, this is just a little message to those interested. My final exam of the school year is tomorrow afternoon, and then I shall finally be able to do some intense and guilt-free writing!

I'll be updating both of my ongoing stories very soon as I'll be writing in every spare minute I can get, and I might even add the first chapter of a new story I've been drafting, although that might be a bit unfair to my other stories considering how long they have been abandoned for.

Anyway, I apologise greatly for my absence but look at it this way, at least now you'll get some longer, quality chapters instead of rushed and aimless ones!

I am so so so grateful for all of your lovely reviews, they mean so much to me, and I ope I can really deliver what you want in the next few chapters. Feel free to leave in the reviews anything you'd like to see, characters, pairings, or plotlines! I love all Naruto characters so I'm no adverse to writing about ones you'd like to see.

Yours truly and ever faithful,

WhiteFang x


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